Broken Realities
by Mellifluousness
Summary: Past, present and future. They're all separate. Or at least they were. These five are from all three, brought together by plotting foes who'd like nothing more than to see them all killed. A crossover of Gone, The Minecraft Chronicles, The Diaries of Kiera, MineLulz and Ears to Hear Us; will they refrain from killing each other long enough to piece together broken realities?
1. Crossing Over

**A/N: Greetings, Internet! Mellifluousness here, along with... WITH... Flu, stop the 'greetings internet.' people will think you have OCD. TOO FREAKING BAD.**

**HPE24: Lol, Flu! XD So, HARRYPOTTERENCYCLOPEDIA24 HERE PEOPLE! :D You know me as HPE24 or the author of The Minecraft Chronicles in !**

**Katrina: KatrinaLinden, making Flu wish she'd never invited me to this crossover. You may know me from some of my heaps of fanfics, but most likely not.**

**Exb: Maybe you know me, maybe you don't. But I'm here, so get used to it.**

**Lexi: Uh... *mindblank* *inserts slightly intelligent nonexistent piece of speaking here, then goes off to battle homework and think of more ways to kill her little brother***

**Flu: Lexi and Exb weren't actually here when we started this A/N. Fun fact for you all. SO, we're writing a crossover of epic proportions, combining HPE's _The Minecraft Chronicles, _Katrina's _The Diaries of Kiera, _Exb's _Gone, _Lexi's _MineLulz _and - a round of applause - my very own _Ears to Hear Us! _Yaaaaay! **

***silence* Kat: Flu, you're the CRICKET WHISPERER**

**Flu: … I thought as much...**

***Massive applause knocks Flu off her seat* **

**HPE24: XD ANYWAY, it's a MEGA crossover combining stories from 5 authors in the Minecraft archive! This massive project actually originated from a small roleplay we had on Skype. It started off quite... childish, but here we are now, showing you the work we produced from acting out our very own main characters! *whisper* I thought of using our own characters in the roleplay! *back to normal* AHEM, SO, you can think that each author wrote the part where his/her character is the main POV.**

**Kat: Quite XD HPE, did you take understatement classes? Oh, and I heard that credit hog!**

**HPE24: No. O_O And I'm not a credit hog! D: I'm just saying the truth! In fact, we all get credits evenly. We all wrote this together!**

**Kat: *near silent whisper* credit hog! credit hog!**

**HPE24: *runs off crying* I HATE BEING CALLED NAMES. Still, give a round of applause for all these fantastic authors that created this magical story! *keeps running***

**Kat: Okay, we shall bore you no longer.*runs after HPE yelling* _credit hog credit hog credit hog credit hog!_**

**P.S. This story takes place in a completely different universe, so anything happening throughout the plot of this won't affect the original stories.**

Something startled Leon Walker, something unusual. Was it the air, damper and warmer than normal? Was it the air conditioning system, relentless shaking and rattling as it struggled to warm the building? No… no, it couldn't have been. It felt like something else…something different.

Days in the desert might've been hot as hell, but night brought on a cold, unnatural chill that descended across the sandy plains. Adelina was a bit warmer, due to all the fires and the natural gas lines that powered some of the buildings, but the air conditioning systems in the barracks were temporary, and provided little respite from the nip of the chill desert air. Leon had just woken up from a dream, a dream of a world far away, a place he had never visited before…

And yet something felt amiss as he tossed the warm covers off. A civil war ripped apart his country; after a series of natural catastrophes drove his people into an exodus from their homeland, their new promised land had turned into a war-torn battlefield, Loyalists against Secessionists, and the key point of this war was the small town of Adelina, now abandoned by civilians. Leon lived life day to day, wondering if death would visit him tomorrow, fighting for what he thought was right—not the government, in any case.

As he stepped out of bed, he felt light-headed and woozy. It was just sleep, he told himself… nothing to worry about, nothing unusual. Just take a couple of pills, it's probably just a headache. But as he stood up, he could not feel sleep overcoming him, could not feel the chill of the room anymore. Something _was _terribly wrong… what it was, he could not place. He tried to run for the door, desperate, but collapsed onto the floor almost seconds after leaving his bed.

There was a bright light shining in his eyes, and a growing and dull pain in his forehead. This was not right… something was happening to him.

He could no longer feel the room, nor feel the shag carpet underneath his body. Now the only thing he felt was some sort of void, consuming him in a bright light. The bedroom began to disappear, along with the bare furniture and what few furnishings hung upon the walls. As it all disappeared, it was replaced with the shimmering, brilliantly glowing light, and Leon Walker disappeared from the face of the earth, torn from the warring lands that he inhabited and cast off into a brave new world…

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_"Cave, sweet cave," _Sarah the skeleton said, flinging her arms wide to demonstrate the size of the opening before them. It was eight blocks across and five blocks tall, at the end of a dip in the jungle floor. Obsidian the enderman stretched his long limbs and yawned so widely he nearly dislocated his jaw, hands flying to it to keep it in place. That felt odd. Red the spider scuttled up beside him and chirruped happily, seven working eyes closing for a moment in pleasure. The eighth was covered by a blue-spattered leather eyepatch from the time he'd been shot by Yarden Librarian, who'd thought he was trying to kill someone when really he'd been rescuing them. Moss the creeper shook her head at her skeletal friend's statement as she trotted past the three of them, hooves silent on the stone. She stopped and looked back at them when she realised they weren't following and Aaron Loner chose that moment to jump the four blocks into the dip, landing heavily and wincing as an indignant mew sounded from his backpack. His dark grey hoodie didn't even seem to contemplate budging from his head, red eyes staring out from behind his brown fringe. It fell all the way to the tip of his nose.

Taking the long way into the dip was Sima Herdrath, whose black hair was tied up in a sharp ponytail and fell in two pointed bangs down her front. She grinned at her friends with bright teeth and light blue eyes, brown leather boots looking incredibly out-of-place when compared with her earthly golden-yellow pants and light blue-grey shirt. This was no Minecrafter like Aaron; she was partly human and originally from Earth, sucked into the game known as 'Minecraft' as the Listener, one who could hear the voices of mobs and finally bring peace between them and their humanoid foes. That quest hadn't been going very well so far, but things were looking up; recent events had her believing that she could actually succeed every once in a while and she had high hopes for what was coming next.  
_"Well, in we go," _Moss rasped, giving as close to a smile as she could at the sight of the two Minecrafters. She turned around again and headed into the cave, the others close behind; moonlight filtered down through the jungle canopy, but soon the moon would set and the sun wouldn't take too kindly to Sarah. Mobs were nocturnal creatures anyway, so they'd always find a cave to sleep in before dawn broke. It had taken Sima and Aaron quite a while to get used to.

Once they had decided they were far enough into the cave, everyone found a place to sleep. Obsidian draped himself over a ledge, Red crawled up to the ceiling and hung from a web, Sarah leaned against a wall, Moss curled up in a corner and Aaron stretched a block of wool out thinly on the ground, chucking another to Sima since he didn't have enough for a bed. The girl copied him and lay down, using her hands as a pillow and slowly…

Drifting off…

Into sleep.

Sima's eyes opened. She stared up at the ceiling of the cave for a moment, wondering what had woken her up. There was no odd sound… no peculiar breathing… no change in temperature… no extra presence… what had roused her? Blinking in the dimness of the cave, she sat up and looked around. Daylight was peeking in around the bend in the cave, so it was slightly brighter than it had been, but other than that-  
She froze.

Sima scrambled to her feet and peered into the darkness of the cave behind her, eyes straining for… something. There was something strange about it. What was it, though…? Attempting to keep her booted footsteps as silent as possible on the stone, she crept deeper into the cave with eyes wide and staring. All sound seemed to desert her until her own breathing was the only thing she could hear and she felt empty; a Listener who was deaf. A lump formed in her throat. She couldn't tell why. But she _had _to continue. She _had _to.

So concentrated was she on the pinpoint of blackness before her that she didn't notice dazzling light begin to flare all around her or even the sound of breathing fade…  
But when she emerged from a cave onto rolling plains, blinking in the sunlight and ears almost tender to the noise, she realised she'd done something completely and utterly _stupid._

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

LexiLopezi rushed through the hallways of Herobrine's prison fortress, Banhammer Keep. She skidded around a corner, yellow swampers squeaking loudly, and growled in frustration. The prisoners had somehow escaped and were heading towards the portal room. Just her luck that today was the day her colleagues got to go to a weapons convention, while it was her turn for guard duty.

Bright flashes of light were emitting from the portal room's entrance, indicating that a number of entities had used the various portals to teleport to some distant location. Herobrine was gonna be p*bleep*ed if she let them escape. Sighing, the blue-haired girl picked a portal at random and jumped in. If you're wondering about the blue hair, it was an accident in her friend's laboratory.

(10 minutes later)

That's the last of them. She tied up the escapees and fiddled with her orange headset, trying to call for help to drag them back to the prison block. Behind her, a metallic claw seemed to rip a tear in the fabric of reality, space, or other substance generally vital to a universe, and grabbed the scruff of her yellow raincoat. Yelping (and almost dropping her headset), the girl was dragged through said tear in the fabric of reality.  
She felt sleepy.

A mechanical lullaby started playing.

_Dreaming… dreaming… dre ,la, da de da vu no du do…_

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Delta stopped mining and straightened up. He felt something… unusual. Like something invisible was coming for him from behind.

He was mining in a rather large cave he discovered recently. His friends, Alpha198 and Omega245, were rather reluctant to follow him to this mine trip for their own reason. Probably they didn't want to spend their free hour digging stones.

"Hmph, can't be bothered," muttered Delta as he proceeded to clear a colony of coals. He'd been in this cave for what, an hour or so already. But for some reason, he didn't find anything other than heaps of iron ores. "What's up with this cave anyway?" he growled to himself, throwing down his pickaxe and collapsing on the floor, glaring angrily at the cave ceiling as if demanding diamonds to come out. Of course, it didn't.

Sighing, Delta leaned on the cave wall he was mining, contemplating whether to carry on this pointless mining or not. He had a feeling that something good was waiting for him at the other end, but lack of rewards for all the hard work was discouraging. His thoughts moved onto all the recent events he and his friends had been in. Fighting the Creeper King and his minions were still fresh in his memories, and stopping the Monster Allies taking over the last colony of Users seemed almost like a miracle. Who knew it would end so quick with only one Nether Star? If other monster kings were that easy to take care of, he would be in a better mood right now. Before he realized, Delta was nodding off, the exhaustion and drowsiness from the work taking their toll.

But he was shaken from his sleep fairly quickly. The walls seemed to shudder by some unknown cause, but little debris began to rain from the ceiling. Grabbing his pickaxe, Delta stood up and surveyed the cave for any alternate route than mining his way out as the entire cave continued shaking. He soon found a tunnel on his left side, not far from where he was standing but leading into a completely darkened space. Delta ran for it, anyway. Better than being buried alive, anyway.

When he reached the darkest part of the tunnel, all the noises seemed to cease immediately. The floor was still shuddering, but very little. Remembering a torch, Delta pulled one out and placed it on his right side to light up the area. The tunnel kept going straight, but a very dim light cleared the pitch-blackness at the other end. Delta quickened his pace, almost jogging now as the light became brighter. He stopped, though, when the light turned so blindingly white, completely erasing the darkness from this tunnel. The light itself suddenly 'lurched' forward to Delta's direction, consuming him before he could react. And everything vanished.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_The ground shook in the city, walls crumbling to the ground. Civilians looked aghast towards the gates, watching something race towards them. From the top of the wall a girl sat, her midnight hair flowing over her right shoulder. Bright purple eyes watched the town's fear with despair. She wanted so much to come to their rescue. The thing- it was invisible to her tear-glazed eyes- entered through the gates, and suddenly only a light cloud of dust remained of the watcher, the colour of her eyes._

Gasping, the same girl woke from her sleep, crying out in anger. Trembling, she stood from her leafy bed, looking west, towards the gleaming city. Satisfied her dream was no more, she fell back on the tree, sighing. If only she could be braver, then she could defend the city herself. If only she could see everything clearly. What was coming onto Trinira? A thousand destructive possibilities came unto her mind, but she shook them away.

_"Grrrr... "_

"Who's there?" Calling out into the darkness, the girl jumped lightly from the branches, searching about her. Another growl further off. Drawing her bow, she walked swiftly into the forest. Soon the night settled around her like a cloud, bringing doubt and fear into her heart. As she thought this, another growl erupted, right beside her. Yelping, she swung around, trying to see. The darkness became so absolute that she noticed no difference between the inside of her eyelids and out. The darkness crushed against her, and she called out, but no cry was heard. Panicking, she tried to escape any way she could, but nothing could be done. Her last thought was to make sure her bow lay firmly strapped to her back, then consciousness left her.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Leon woke up in a dank cave, his head pounding like a hammer and strange lights flashing before his eyes. It felt like the worst migraine he had ever had-a headsplitting, dull pain that began to wear off as he rose up, supporting himself on one of the slimy, mossy walls of the tunnel.

There was sunlight streaming from a small opening not twenty feet away, and Leon, confused and bruised, stumbled out of the aperture and into a sunlit plain bordering a distant, snow-clad taiga.

"Where... the fuck..."

He was unable to finish his sentence. The whole world looked, and felt, strange and alien, foreign if you could say so. It felt like home, but...the way it was designed, it just looked so strange. Far away, a jagged line of craggy peaks rose up out of the western horizon, wreathed in auburn and pale clouds and mist.

It was a beautiful world. But something felt wrong. Leon had very little on him-somehow, he had carried a few items that had not been on his person over into this new world. A beaten, battered military-grade assault rifle was slung over his shoulder, and he suddenly realized that he had a backpack on. Leon slumped against one of the walls and began to sift through the pack's contents, pulling out several army rations, packs of 5.56mm ammunition, an electric torch, and a small iron hatchet.  
This was all that he had? As he tossed his belongings back into the pack, he began to feel like he was not alone in this world...

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Sima blinked dumbly at the plain that lay before her. It looked almost exactly like the place where she'd started her journey... she conjured the map she and her friends used to navigate into her memory. Wavehills, it had been called. She thought so, anyway. Was this that place again? Had she stepped through some kind of... portal or something? She emerged from the cave and stretched her weary limbs in the warm sunlight as she looked around. A range of low hills was hunched over in the eastern distance and a taiga bordered the plains off in the... north, was that? She was terrible with directions. Turning around to see where she'd come from, her eyes widened at the sight of the sheer cliff that rose into pale clouds and mist far above. That thing was _huge, _a member of a long range that raced off into the distance in either direction. Shaking her head to clear it, she reached for the straps of the backpack that usually hung across her shoulders... and groaned as she realised that she'd left it behind in the cave they'd been resting in. Oh, wasn't that just _perfect. _There went food, some spare blocks given to her by Aaron and a few minimised tools, too. Not only that, she had _no _idea where she was. She groaned again.

It was then that she noticed what looked so wrong about this place. It wasn't full of straight-edged cubes as she'd gotten used to; the terrain was still slightly blocky, but edges were rounded and the almost-cubes were uneven. Testing out what she'd discovered she could do in Swampheart while fleeing from various pursuers, she crouched and clawed at the dirt beneath her feet. It crumbled between her fingers until there was nothing but a pile of it in the bottom of a hole; she lay on her stomach to gather it into her hands and mashed it together into a smaller cube-like shape. Grinning at her success, she took it in one hand and chucked it back into the hole watching it expand to fill the gap. At least she knew how to do _something _in this world.

Getting to her feet again, Sima looked around once more. Right, she was standing on this small ledge just outside the cave; it went about three blocks from the entrance and overlooked a drop of about... twenty blocks, she decided before recoiling from the edge, struck with vertigo by the dizzying view. There didn't appear to be any way down, though. She took a few steps backwards towards the cave, wondering how she was going to get anywhere.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Delta groaned, rubbing his eyes and looking around. He remembered seeing that bright flash of light, but the world around him was nothing like the cave he was in before. It was a grassland, he was sure, with hills stretching endlessly and joining a taiga biome far away. There was a mountain range far to his right that had jagged points shrouded with clouds. Now _that _was what he didn't see in his world before.

He felt his stone pickaxe by his side, but other than that, he only had an iron sword, few torches, two bread and all the cobblestones he gained from mining earlier. That was it.  
Delta was sure that Alpha and Omega didn't come with him to this strange world, but sensed someone else was here somewhere.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Sunlight streamed down the face of a deadly sheer cliff, filling a small cave with shimmering light. Blinking in surprise as he sudden brightness, the girl peered around her, light purple eyes glancing at the mountain range that surrounded her. Standing shakily, she risked a glance below her. The cliff was without notches or ledges, so steep it seemed as though a giant had used an extremely sharp knife to cut a step into the valley. Turning around, she wandered over to the back of her prison, staring desperately at the wall as though by simply looking she could make the wall fade and an escape appear. Sighing, she stepped back a bit, then turned to view the mountain range that suddenly seemed too close. Her feet stood right on the edge, frighteningly close to having her fall to her doom. A gust of wind flew into the cave, and normally such a thing would save one's life, but the air circled around the small area, flinging her off.

Screaming, she felt for the instinctive action. In her chest warmed a stone where one's heart would normally be, releasing enough energy for her to vibrate at such a speed that she became invisible to the naked eye. Even faster, the 'heart-pearl' covered the girl in purple dust, and she was gone, the sound of her movement ringing through the air, teleported to the closest place of safety. Which, unfortunately, happened to be right behind a short girl with soot-black hair.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

LexiLopezi woke up face to face with an upside down sheep.

"GAH!"  
Then she fell out of a tree. Ouch. So that was why the world looked funny. Grabbing her headset, which was (*cough cough* very conveniently *cough cough*) dangling from a branch, she surveyed the area. Plains. She picked a random direction and started walking, checking the contents of her backpack at the same time. Rocket launcher, stone sword, magic dragon bracelet only a quarter charged, water bott- COOKIES! Nom.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Leon descended from the small hill, exiting onto a grassy plain that had little promise other than large amounts of sod. There were a couple of chickens roaming around the plain; if he needed food, he knew where he could get some...

Leon had no idea how to survive in this world; if he had just dropped into some dream, maybe he would wake up soon. But it felt... _too real_... to be a dream. The earth beneath him was packed hard and didn't yield to his boots. At least, not immediately. As he was kicking the hard earth, a single part of it broke apart.

It was almost in the shape of a block, the area that he had destroyed. A small pile of dry dirt lay at the bottom of the cube that he had just opened up. Startled, Leon fell back against a nearby earthbank, staring dumbfounded at the hole.

"How did I..."

Leon looked at his boot again, wondering if this really was a dream.

"What the hell is all of this?"

He picked up the dirt and found it to have congealed into a block-ish clump. It was almost as if he knew what to do with it; he bent over to set the dirt down into the hole, and the hole filled up once more with the dirt. It was as if nothing had happened.

Leon was terrified, and felt like he was trapped within some sort of twisted game. Desperately seeking help, he looked off towards the distant mountains, but to no avail.

He was alone in this nightmare.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Delta started walking. He noticed how the terrain looked different from where he came from. It looked blocky, but that wasn't quite right. Out of curiosity, he tried digging a hole with his hands. It felt normal as it should be.

"Right..." he muttered to himself. "What the heck is this place anyway?"

Pocketing the dirt away, Delta proceeded to walk towards the taiga biome. He reckoned he could get some wood and build a shelter to stay for the night coming up; starting from the basics to survive in this new world. Everything around him was so silent. Unnaturally silent enough to creep him out.

So when he heard a chicken cry out, he was immensely relieved to hear it breaking the silence. Probably because it also meant food to him. Lashing out with his sword, Delta pounced at the bird and plunged his blade into its heart, killing it instantly. Stowing the chicken meat away, Delta continued his way to the taiga forest, chewing a piece of bread along the way. He had a funny feeling something would surprise him there...

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The temperature difference was insane; as he proceeded from the warm solitude of the plains Leon felt a chill wrap around his body as he began to step into snow. The slushy mixture crunched underfoot, disappearing as he walked in it. But it was disappearing... block by block, or sort of. The whole thing was incredibly strange, but by now Leon had simply accepted it. Whatever this was, dream or reality, he had to find a place to stay before night fell.

As he trudged underneath the tall fir trees, Leon saw a figure, a shadowy one, stomping through the woodlands ahead of him. Ever wary of strangers and hostiles, Leon stepped behind a nearby tree and watched the figure as it began to approach closer.

It held a sword, just a regular sword, and was munching on what appeared to be a plain loaf of bread. The figure seemed unaware of Leon's presence, and continued to tromp happily towards the plains, minding its own business. It was definitely male... young, quite handsome too, with the build of a fighter or a soldier. But still young.

Suddenly, a twig snapped above Leon, and cascaded down onto his head. The sudden snap caught the stranger's attention, and the figure whirled toward Leon's hiding spot, sword raised in anticipation. Leon did the only reasonable thing; he brought his rifle up and raised it, pointing the weapon at the stranger.

But he did not fire. Something stopped him; the figure was not moving, it was just standing there, bright eyes watching Leon's every move. This was no hostile; no random traveler or bandit out for blood or gold. Whoever this was, he was in the same position as Leon; there was no movement between the two.

Finally, Leon dropped his rifle, lowering it to the ground as a sign of peaceful intentions. The stranger thought so as well; he lowered his sword, if only barely, and began to approach Leon...

Delta observed the man before him. He seemed to be in his twenties or so, armed with some kind of weapon he couldn't identify. But he decided for a friendly approach, as the stranger lowered his weapon to show he was not hostile.

"I'm... sorry... about this," Leon started, tapping the rifle gently. "I was just... a bit flummoxed, was all."

"Hey, it's fine," answered Delta. "I'm kinda lost as well... Don't know how I arrived at this world..."

"You too, huh?" Leon said, setting his rifle up against the tree. "Well, that makes two of us, kid. How old are you, anyway?"

"Fourteen," said Delta. "You?"

"Twenty-three. Pretty young to be wandering the wilderness alone, eh?" Leon asked him.

"I guess..." he trailed off, scratching his head.

Something about the young warrior looked familiar... Leon couldn't place it, though, as snow began gently falling off of the topmost leaves.

"So...you have no idea where we are, and I have no idea where we are. Perfect... just fucking perfect," Leon spat, picking his rifle up again. His supplies were scarce, and already the sun was rising into the morning sky.

Delta looked at him closely. "I've never seen people like you carrying those stuff," he said, pointing at Leon's rifle.

"Never seen a rifle before? Where have you been?" Leon asked, startled. "They're... everywhere," he struggled to find the best word.

"Well, I'm from the Overworld," explained Delta. "It's almost like this world we're in now, except... well, people have swords and bows instead."

"Can't say I'm familiar," Leon responded. "Sounds like some kind of child's fantasy. You're certainly not from where I'm from... and I have no idea how you ended up here. Wherever this place is."

Delta thought for a moment. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

"The name's Leon Walker," he said offhandedly, staring up at the mountains rising off in the distance. "And you must be?"

"Delta824," responded Delta.  
Immediately, the spark lit the fire. Leon had recognized the face, but couldn't place the name...until now.

_Was this kid freaking serious? No... no way, it can't be... that's not possible. _

"You...you're joking, right? This is all just a big practical joke? A prank, eh?" Leon asked, now shuffling his feet awkwardly.

Delta frowned. "Last time I checked, my name was Delta824." Leon began to shake his head and stumbled away from the tree, cursing.

"You have to be kidding me... I mean... really..."

He took another look back at the young man standing by the tree, curiously examining the rifle he had left.

_Delta824 was a legend... the slayer of monsters, the Guardian of the Overworld, a hero of ages hundreds of years old... it cannot possibly be him. But everything matches perfectly..._

"If you are him, then-"

Leon could not finish his sentence. Words escaped him.

"Uh... what's wrong with me?" asked Delta, confused.

"You know who you are, right?" Leon asked, incredulous.

"Uh... I fought the Creeper King and his minions months ago... Nothing else to say after that... Except we'll be going to the Aether soon."

"You're kidding me, right? You can't be Delta... I know who you are, I know your face and your name...you're a goddamn legend, you are. If you _are _him," Leon finished, wondering if this was all a giant deceit. But everything lined up perfectly.

"You know me... and I don't know you?" said Delta. "Weird... But since when did I even _become _a legend? I'm just an ordinary Terrarian that went off to find some other Users in hiding."

"Yeah, well, you missed a lot, buddy. You don't know who the hell you are, or where you are. And I don't know where we are either. Notch... the goddamn legend is clueless..."

"But if you know what I did... then you must be from the future or something," said Delta.

"Well, you are my past. A legend, but certainly the past...so I'm the future of the world," Leon came to a realization. Then he laughed. "Man, you guys have it lucky...you don't know how much we screwed up," Leon snorted, taking his rifle up again. "This place is probably better... you don't want to see home anymore."

Delta looked down. "I'm not so sure... All my friends are probably back in my world, doing whatever we're supposed to do next... But yes, I'd rather be in here than to face the Creeper King and other monster kings."

"It's not monster kings we worry about, kid. We're just murdering each other... and to think, our race once banded together to fight monsters. I suppose that when the monsters all died out, we became them..."

Delta stared at him. "Tell me more," he said.

"Maybe another time. We've got more pressing matters right now-if you're _the _Delta, than I'm sure you're experienced with that sword, correct?"

"Obviously," said Delta. "I'm very used to swords and bows as you are with your rifle."  
"Well, we might make a good team. You wanna stick with me? I could sure as hell use some help... this whole place is different. I'm not used to any of it," Leon remarked, remembering the dirt from earlier.

"Sure," said Delta cheerfully. "I don't have any other human beings I know in this place anyway. And I'm pretty sure I can help you out with all these... strange terrains and stuff."  
"The whole block thing... yeah, you know what I mean. Anyways, it would be good to have a travelling companion. Maybe once we get shelter set up, we can get to know each other more." Leon picked his rifle back up and prepared to head out, but turned back once more.

"Can I trust you?" he asked grimly. The question was dangerous.

"Do you trust me?" Delta asked back.

"Can't say you've gained it yet. I'm not that kind of person," Leon shook his head. "But can you prove yourself to me? Honestly?"

"Seeing that you know what I did, or what I will do in the future, yes."

"We'll see. For now... we need to get to some shelter." Leon pointed to the mountain range in the distance. "It's not too far away. Safer than this," he remarked about the tall fir forest.

"Sure, why not?"

As snow dusted down from the treetops, the two warriors began to trek towards the distant mountain range, unaware of the pair of travelers who had already called it home...

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

At a sound like an enderman's teleportation Sima jumped out of her skin, crying out and whipping around to see a tall girl with waist-length hair the darkest shade she'd ever seen, clad in plain black. Her skin was deathly pale, but her eyes were as disconcerting as Aaron's, bright purple and staring. Sima immediately thought of an enderman and relaxed a little.  
"Uh... h-hi there..." she stammered, raising a shaky hand to wave nervously. "I-I'm Sima. What's, uh, what's your name?" The girl looked at Sima slowly, then immediately ducked her head. "Aurora," she almost whispered.

"Ahr-oor-ah?" Sima echoed, mispronouncing it utterly.

At the miserable attempt to say her name, Aurora burst into laughter. "Maybe you could shorten it." A grin was stuck on her pale lips, making the words sound cheery and light.

"Uh... I guess I'll... call you..." Sima thought for a moment. "Aura? How's that?"

"Aura," she repeated, trying it out. Then the grin returned and Sima quickly discarded the other ideas she had thought of. She seemed to like it.

"So, uh... Aura," began Sima, "any idea where we are? I'm, uh... not from around here and I'm... a little lost," she admitted, laughing sheepishly.

Aura shook her head, and Sima's heart fell. "What does 'uh' mean?" Her expression was purely confusion. Sima just stared at her.

"You... don't know... what, what _'uh' _means?"

"No idea." The endergirl fingered the bow attached to her back, puzzled.

"It's, it's like..." Sima stared at the sky, struggling to find the right words. "It's just something you say when, well, when you don't know what to say. And... well," she laughed, "I don't, don't really know what to say a lot. I'm not a good speaker."

Aura laughed. "When I don't know what say, I don't speak... I don't speak very often." Her voice quietened, but her expression was teasing, almost.

"Well, uh, I guess that's a good idea," Sima reasoned, still amused. "I just... run out of words to, to say in the middle of sentences and... stuff... But you didn't answer my question. Know where we are?"

Aura shook her head. "I was... in a forest, and suddenly on a mountain."

Sima sighed. "Didn't think so. Too, too much to hope for, really, knowing, well, knowing my luck."

Aura copied her sigh, looking out of the cave, across to the winter forest and bright green plains. "I could probably get us out of here..." She trailed off, her eyes still captivated by the multitude of biomes within sight.

"Out... of here?" Sima looked up at Aura, no idea what she was going on about.  
She smiled weakly "I can teleport." She said it as if it was the most normal thing in the world, as though everyone could.

_Every endergirl. _Sima chided herself for being so blind. "Wait... uh, I can't." She tried to pretend she wasn't glad this was so. It was a long way down. Aura smiled wickedly, and the poor human wished she'd never said a thing.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Lexi perked up at the sight of a mountain range in the distance. High places were nice. At the base of and surrounding the mountains, the plains melded into an enormous forest of firs. And snow! Snow was nice too. And provided a great supply of ammo. If only she had a slingshot...

Breaking off a forked twig, she fished around in a pocket and took out a rubber band, which she attached to aforementioned stick. There.

Wait a minute-what was that? Footsteps don't form in the snow without people around to make them. Occasionally falling into a snowbank, she followed the tracks. Tracks meant people. People meant possibly an explanation about where she was. And maybe more cookies. She could already hear talking up ahead.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"D-do we really have to jump off?" Sima's voice quavered with fear as she looked down at the fatal fall before them.

"I'm not exactly very good at this," Aura confessed. "It's easier to teleport while in danger; my instincts kick in."

The other girl stared at her blankly. _"What? _B-but that's... that's insane! Why do you... but that's... how can we..." she trailed off, eyes wide and jaw gaping in despair.

"Trust me." Aura held out her arms. "And hold on tight."

Sima sputtered a few more words, gesticulating frantically, before giving up and sagging with a sigh. Resigned to her fate, she grasped the endergirl's elbows and closed her eyes. Aura side-stepped until her bare feet rested right beside the cliff's edge. Sima opened her mouth to say she was backing out, but her words were replaced with wind as the two fell.  
Down, down, down they plummeted, the wind screaming past them and the cliff a grey blur to the side. Or maybe it was Sima doing the screaming, eyes screwed tight shut much to Aura's calm amusement.

As Aura summoned the power that lay in her heart-pearl the two faded from sight, reappearing upright, a cloud of purple dust at the mountain's foot. The grass gently brushed their calves, but Sima was still screaming her head off in Aura's face. The deafened endergirl clamped her snow-pale hand over the human's mouth, commanding her to be quiet. Opening her eyes, Sima forced her scream to fade into silence as she stared up into those bright violet eyes. Okay. She had survived. That had been... terrifying. "Can we, can we _not _do that again?" she pleaded, voice muffled by the taller girl's palm.

Releasing Sima, she grinned almost evilly. "Depends. Are we going to get stuck on a mountain again?"

"Ha, well, no, not a chance," laughed Sima, giddy. "Not a chance."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"If we can get set up at the base of the mountains, maybe in a cave, we'll have a chance," Leon said as he traipsed towards the mountains, gazing up at the peaks drawing closer. The taiga forest was giving way to just a snowy plain bordering the tall ridge.

"Good idea," said Delta. "D'you reckon there'll be any monsters in there?"

"I haven't seen a monster in my entire life, kid. I can't say anything."

"Oh yeah... From where I came from, monsters spawn in dark areas, especially in caves. Not sure if monsters exist in this world, though."

"Well, I'm sure you're an expert at killing them, then. You can go up first," Leon said, coughing as something niveous began to fall lightly from the clouds surrounding the mountains above. He looked up, expecting to see ash, but instead light flakes of white snow fell in its place.

"Sure."

As the two walked, they both noticed the presence of someone behind them-or something.

"We're being followed... maybe. It doesn't sound like they're following us directly," Leon whispered, leaning towards Delta briefly.

"Could it be a monster?" asked Delta softly.

"Doesn't sound like it... the footsteps are starting to fade now," Leon noticed, stopping. "Let's fall back a bit, see if we can catch them..." Delta nodded in agreement.

The two began to fall back, retracing their steps. Not fifty feet back, another set of light footprints intercepted theirs, and went off north, deeper into the forest. A lone shape, smaller than a full-grown man or monster, was casually ambling off underneath the tall firs, looking around curiously at its surroundings.

"Well, it's your call, Delta. Look hostile to you?" Leon asked, pointing out the shadowy shape.

Delta looked at the figure closely. "I've never seen any monster like that..." he murmured. "But it's a different world. Monsters might be different around here."

"Call out to it. If it tries to charge us... well, I've got lead for it," Leon smirked, tapping the barrel of the military rifle.

"Okay then..." Delta approached the figure, sword lowered just in case it saw it as a threat. "Um, hello?" he called out.

The figure turned, apparently distracted, and cheerily waved hello. That smile certainly wasn't hostile (Hostile, no. Slightly insane, possibly.); Leon relaxed a bit as the young woman stopped walking away and turned around to the two warriors.

"Um... I'm Delta824," started Delta. "You are?"

"Hi!" she called to them. "I'm LexiLopezi. Do you live here?"

"No... I somehow got from my real world to here. Same with you?"

"Yep!"

Leon approached the two slowly, signalling his peaceful intent by lowering his rifle.

"Who's this?" he asked Delta cautiously.

"Her name's LexiLopezi," said Delta, and Lexi gave a cheery wave. "She's in the same situation like us."

"Name's Leon Walker. Your name... is... curious." Leon struggled to find a good word. "No last name? Or is that your first _and _last name?"

"It's my whole name. Born with it, lived with it, and still living with it," Lexi smirked, looking curiously upwards at the trees. "Hmm... gravity's a strange thing, you know?" she mused as snow fell on top of her head in large clumps.

"Yeah... all of that gravity, eh," Leon mused back, confused. "So, where are you off to... _Lexi_?" he asked, kicking some snow off of his boot.

"Candy. Looking for candy," replied Lexi absentmindedly. "And maybe explosions."

Leon laughed, slightly unsettled, and while Lexi leaned against a tree and started humming to herself, he turned to Delta.

"Are you sure this girl is... er... mentally sound?" he asked nervously, staying out of Lexi's earshot.

"She sounded perfectly normal few seconds ago," muttered Delta. "But I'm not sure about her sanity, either."

"Well, if you ask me... she belongs in a sanitarium. But nobody asks me," Leon acknowledged. "Should we take her with us? I'm afraid she's going to get herself killed..."

"I agree with you. Besides, she's the only human we've ever met here except for each other."

"True. And she doesn't seem hostile at all. I say we take her."

The two broke off, and Leon approached Lexi carefully.

"Hey, uh... Lexi... you wanna come with us? Join our little group?"

"Where are you off to?" Lexi asked, studying Leon.

"Mountains, safety, shelter," Leon replied, pointing to the tall peaks jutting above the foliage. "It's your call..."

"Is there candy there?" Lexi queried.

"Uh... yeah, sure... loads of candy, jars _full_ of them... toffee, mint, sour worms-"

"Sounds good," stated Lexi, bouncing on her heels. "I hope they have peanut butter ones..."

"I'm sure there will be," reassured Delta.

The two began to trudge off once more, with Lexi skipping happily behind them, humming blithely to herself. Two had become three, and soon there would be more...

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After a short discussion Aura and Sima agreed that they'd head across the plains in search of a village; it would be a good idea to find people and figure out where they were. Perhaps they could find a way home, too. The two set off, Aura walking far too fast for Sima to keep up with her long, rapid strides. Sima alternated between power-walking and jogging in an effort to keep at her side, puffing and panting with exertion. She couldn't run nearly as easily as she had in the world she'd come from and felt horribly unfit. Looking back, Aura laughed at the short human's slowness.

"Can't you, can't you slow down?" Sima complained, noticing the Endergirl's gaze on her. Sighing overdramatically, Aura slowed her pace until she was barely moving. Snorting in amusement and disbelief, Sima caught up and raced ahead. She ground to a halt and turned to face Aura, throwing her arms wide in exasperation. "Come _on, _you!"

Aura's amusement faded from her face. Her bright purple eyes were trained on something behind Sima. The human whipped around in surprise, but couldn't make out anything amongst the mountains or the nearby taiga. What had caught Aura's eye? "What is it, Aura?"

"I saw..." She shook her head swiftly. "I saw three people... but they're not there yet..."

Sima was perplexed. "What?"

Aura sighed, wishing she hadn't mentioned it. "I- I can see the future, sometimes." She looked to the ground, and for the first time, Sima noticed how her eyes seemed shrouded in shadows, the marks of the sleepless.

"O-oh," stammered Sima, hardly hesitant to believe it. "So... that means... people are coming? We, we need to go meet them!"

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As the group of three stepped out of the snowy pines and into the small patch of open land that separated taiga and mountain, all of them saw the two unusual figures standing on the half-grassy tundra not a quarter of a mile ahead of them.

"Well, well... looks like we've got more company," Leon mused, watching the two figures. One of them was human, but the other... was different. She looked almost like an Enderman... indeed, she might have been one.

"I knew it, I wasn't alone," muttered Delta.

"Well, I'm pretty bad at introductions, and I don't think we want Lexi here saying 'hello' for us... so Delta, the diplomacy is in your hands," Leon offered. At that point the smaller of the two figures in the distance waved broadly and called out something that didn't quite reach their ears.

"They're calling to us," said Delta. "Maybe we can get closer?"

"Yeah, I can't hear a thing," Leon replied. "As much as it begrudges me to do so, sure."

The three came closer, stepping up onto the same knoll as the young woman and the tall, intimidating Endergirl.

"Well, now I'm certainly going insane," Leon muttered, standing before the tall, pale figure and the shorter human girl.

"Um... h-hi," the human stammered, waving awkwardly. She appeared more than a little intimidated by Leon.

"Time to learn some new names, then, eh?" Leon asked, extending his hand eagerly. "The name's Leon Walker... not much else to me, I guess. This here with the sword is Delta824, and the other... er... one is Lexi. She's... well, quite unusual," Leon mumbled, laughing nervously. "And your name?"

"I-I'm Sima," she replied, taking his hand tentatively and shaking it. "This is, uh, this is Aura."  
"Well, certainly... nice to, uh... meet you, Aura. I know what you are, so don't try to explain. I've met one of your race before. And you Sima, well... um, no offense, but... you dress like a hippie. I mean, take a look at yourself... honestly," Leon sneered, waving his arms at Sima. "It's... preposterous."

Sima stared at him blankly. "W... what? _What? _Where, where did _that _come from?" she demanded, frowning. "I've only just _met _you! Do you, do you call _all _girls you meet hippies?"  
"Only the ones who dress like that," Leon smirked.

"Well, you look like... you look like something out of some post-apocalyptic movie," she retorted. "You're, you're a mess!"

"Yeah, but a good-looking mess. You just look... like a hippie. I don't know what else to say," Leon retorted. "And I've got a gun... you've got..."

"I don't _care _what you've got. And you're about as good-looking as... as a zombie who's been in the sun."

"The hell is that supposed to mean? Stupid... alright, fine. Fine, whatever. And what's your story, Aura? Are you more polite than Sima here? Who seems a bit familiar now that I look at her..." The girl grumbled something about politeness under her breath.

"First of all, Sima dresses fine, second, I've a bow, third, I appear to be taller than you."

"First of all, she's a hippie, second, I've got a _gun, _and third, you'd be a lot shorter without a head." Leon smirked at the- cloud of purple dust that hovered where Aura once stood. He was about to confront Sima as to what had just happened when he felt the gun slip out of his hands and a cold circle press against his back.

"Whoa whoa, let's just all calm down," said Delta, coming between Leon and Aura. "Leon, I do believe you were offensive towards Sima here. Maybe an apology?"

"Well... my apologies for seeming so hostile. Perhaps we've gotten off on the wrong foot a bit. Mind giving me my gun back, and I'll apologize to hip-_ Sima_- here. And we can all be better..."

Sima bit her lip to hold back the rage that was boiling inside her. "Don't give him his gun back."

"Odds are you'd shoot yourself," Leon growled. "And I recognized you from somewhere... why so familiar?"

Sima almost smirked, but couldn't quite manage it. "Probably seen my face in, in some history book, because I'm such a, such a legend."

Leon, too, couldn't help but smirk. "Ah... now it makes sense. You were the pansy... ahem, sorry, _paragon _who brought peace between the mobs and the humans. Do you want to know what happened about a hundred years after that?"

Sima stared at him, smile fading. "W... what? What happened?"

"A bunch of rich-ass tycoons decided to kill them all in order to clear the caves out. They wanted the riches down there... so they initiated complete genocide. Sound fun?" Leon smiled devilishly.

Sima stopped. Her heart felt like it had halted mid-beat. Her jaw fell open and she stared not at Leon, but past him. They'd all... died? Her mobs had... died? No. No, that couldn't be. He was lying. "YOU'RE LYING!" she screamed. "You're _lying! _You're just, you're just a stupid, lying jerk and you don't know _anything! You don't know anything at all," _she growled, face hardening and fists clenching at her sides as the spirit known as the Listener took over. _"Nothing. At. All."_

Aura stared at Leon in utter horror. "You tell me my entire race is killed and expect me to give back your death-weapon?"

"Why would I feed you lies?" asked Leon. "I'm just saying the truth. The mobs are all extinct in my time. Never saw one crawling on the surface of the planet."

_"You lie," _hissed Sima and the Listener together, her girlish tones mixing oddly with its deeper voice. _"We will be victorious. There will be many more Listeners after me, and there _will _be peace." _

Aura stared at Leon, so long that he began to wonder if she was seeing his soul. "Sima, I don't think he is." Aghast, the human looked at her. The Endergirl's face was a picture of defeat. "Maybe he's not from our future, but a different world entirely." Her voice was so weak, Leon doubted she believed what she was saying.

Delta watched them, his mind full of confusion. Why were the girls reacting like this over the extinction of monsters? He could understand Aura being devastated about it, but he knew nothing of Sima. Who was the Listener _anyway?_

His train of thought was interrupted by an innocent voice. "Did you find any candy?"


	2. Plotting

**A/N: Exb: Hello internet! Exb—**

**Flu: No, that's my line! GO AWAY! MIIIINE!**

**HPE24: HAWHAWHAW**

**Exb: You haven't seen the last of me...**

**Flu: YES I HAVE. :D Lexi and Katrina weren't here for this... I am sad. :(**

**HPE24: Me three. :( But here we are, the second chapter for Broken Realities already out!**

**Flu: Indeed. It's been a **_**day. **_**Also, happy end of the world, e'erbody! :D**

**HPE24: *epic music* TWO THOUSAND AND TWELVE**

**Exb: Welp, there's zombies over here. So, uh...yeah...**

**Flu: I thought it was just snow? :P**

**Exb: Snow-covered zombies. It's worse than anyone ever imagined...**

**Flu: Ah. Makes sense. I wonder, will all our A/Ns be this bizarre...? Ohwait, it's us. Probably. :D**

**Exb: THEY'RE CONSUMING MY FLESH—**

**Flu: FEED THEM THE CHAPTER! FEED THEM IT!**

**HPE24: YESH. GO EXB.**

**Exb: (gurgling and rasping sounds)**

**Flu: And on that pleasant note, have a chapter, my loverlies! Not our loverlies. Mine. MIIIIIIINE. MINE.**

**Exb: Brains? Brains. **

**Flu: Nope, no brains here. :D **

**HPE24: So, on with it! And by the way, there's a new surprise we put in here, cooked up by myself! :D HPE24, THE MASTER OF COOKING VILLAINS MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**

**Flu: Roasted villain, yummy! **

**Exb: Brains.**

It was nearly noon; the sun stood high in the sky, but the clouds hanging above cast a dim shadow over the jagged peaks of the mountain range. Only half a day in this new world had passed, and already fractures had formed between the lost heroes.

"You're crazy, Sima, honestly," Leon snapped, smacking his forehead with his palm and ignoring Lexi. "I mean... you sounded like some deranged old lady in the books, but... in person, you're _far _worse."

"B... books?"

"Yes, you're famous for doing... whatever the hell you used to do," Leon explained, exasperated. "You've been the subject of many books. They were all terrible, in my opinion."  
Sima felt the Listener breaking through again, hissing at him. As though she didn't sound insane enough already. "Oh, yeah right. Like you're a good judge of anything."

"I judge my enemies pretty well. It's the only thing I need to judge," Leon retorted. "And I need to apologize to your Ender friend here- I meant no offense earlier. I respect you more than... _her_." Leon sneered in Sima's direction.

"I'm, I'm surprised you respect anyone at all," Sima snapped. "You must do a lot of judging, because, because you don't seem like someone who has many friends."

"An Enderman has saved my life many times already. I respect their proud race," Leon said, gazing up at the silent, intimidating form of Aura. "Friends? Who are you to talk about friends? Who would be friends with _you_?" Leon spat nastily.

Sima opened her mouth to speak, eyes blazing at Leon... and found no words escaping her mouth. _Oh god, not now. _She couldn't find the words to say. There was _nothing _she could say to that. Nothing at all.

"Hmm. I thought there wasn't a reason," Leon smirked. "Why don't you go and plant some flowers while I get myself settled in? If your Ender friend wants to join us, it's up to her..."

"Oh, enjoy, enjoy massacring some people with that... that _abomination _of yours -" she pointed at his gun - "While _I _go find some, some _monsters _who are better than you - it won't be hard - and figure out, uh, where we are."

"Suit yourself. You'll probably trip over a stone and _stupid _yourself to death," Leon retorted childishly. "Well, glad to get rid of her," he said to Delta, as Sima began to stomp off. "You with us, Aura?"

"Not after what you said to Sima," the Endergirl said, her voice cold and full of disdain. "I'm staying with her... not _some child _who thinks he's an adult_…_" She stalked off after the human girl, long strides carrying her quickly to Sima's side.

Delta couldn't stand anymore. "Enough already!" he yelled, standing up. "What's wrong with you people anyway? Can't you just stop for one minute?"

"Well, she's gone now anyway. Good riddance to her, I say," Leon chided. "I suppose I was a bit... immature back there," he admitted quietly.

"Yes, you were," said Delta, calming down a bit.

"As long as I'm not living with her, I should be fine. We need to get our shelter set up, anyway... we've wasted enough time as is. And I feel like I should be more...responsible for both of you. Since you're still both kids," Leon pointed out.

"I know. Even though we are from older times, we're still teenagers," said Delta, grinning.  
"And I ought to watch out for you. Can't say it tickles my fancy, to assume responsibility for you two, but... it would be irresponsible to do otherwise. Come on, let's find a cave or something to take shelter in," Leon suggested.

VVVVVV

Sima barely noticed the tall endergirl reaching her side as her eyes were trained on the ground. Maybe if she stared hard enough a hole would be burnt in it and Leon would fall in. And die. Preferably painfully.

"I'm angry too, Sima," Aura said softly. The girl could hear the rage barely contained in her voice. "He just... said that... without any remorse. My people..." she trailed off. For once her strides matched Sima's and they walked slowly, side by side.

"He's probably, uh, been through a lot," Sima acknowledged, attempting to reason. She just gritted her teeth again, though. "There's still no reason for him to be such... such a _jerk."_

In silence they walked, heading off across the plains as they dealt with their anger.

VVVVVV

After a couple of hours, Leon had returned with several chunks of wood in his backpack. The three had found a small cave near the base of the mountains and had taken shelter inside of it.

"I still can't get used to... all of this block business," Leon muttered to himself, tossing the wooden chunks onto the floor. "We could use some of this for a fire, I guess..."

"Good idea. But we'll need a flint and steel," said Delta.

"How do you know all of this? I could just use... damn, if I only had a lighter," Leon cursed. "Well, either we find flint and steel, or we'll be cold tonight," he acknowledged.

Delta smirked. "Easy." He pressed his hand on the cave wall, eyes shut in concentration. After ten seconds, pieces of flint and iron ore smashed their way out from it. Lexi was impressed, her eyes the size of saucers, but Leon simply shrugged.

"So the books were correct. I never did believe in any of that... I suppose I'm the one who looks stupid now. Impressive."

"Why, thank you," smiled Delta. "But I hope the monster kings don't sense me doing this..."

"Ah yes... your 'arch enemies', all of the pulp comics used to call them. I used to read those when I was a kid," Leon remarked, smiling.

"The Monster Allies are more than my arch enemies, all right. Mindless savages that murdered my parents for me anyway. But they even make stories about me... I can't get used to it."

"You're a hero, kid," Leon said. "Might as well get used to being one. Hell, I can't used to you being younger than me... it's quite extraordinary," Leon admitted.

"Yeah... a guy in twenties saying all that kind of stuff about me... very extraordinary."

"Ah, well... it's weird how you all are younger than me. Heroes at such a ripe age... I guess that makes me a parent of sorts, doesn't it?" Leon smirked. "Even for that... hippie."

"I guess... but why do you... detest Sima so much? It sounds like she seeks peace between mobs and people. What's wrong with peacemaking?" asked Delta.

"Maybe tonight I'll explain why I've got so much dislike for her," Leon sighed. "Until then, we've got a bit of work to do. Got any food?"

"A little," Delta answered, and Lexi shook her head. "It's not enough for all of us, though."

"I've got a few ration packs. It should keep us until we find something edible out there." Leon took several packs out and dispensed them to the other two. "I'll get a fire started up... if only I could figure out how to... make this damn flint and steel," Leon cursed.

"If it's anything like my world, I might know how," Delta offered. Taking the two ingredients in hand, he combined them, and instantly created a firestarter.

"Well, it's almost the same as my world... crafting rules apply, I suppose."

"That's crazy... well, as crazy as it can possibly get," Leon muttered, as Delta struck a few blocks of wood with the firestarter. Bright orange flames leapt up from the kindling, licking the cold air around them as they danced.

"We'll need a workbench, too, if we want to make anything else. The number one rule of crafting is- always get a workbench first," Delta recited, as if from memory.

"Workbench... workbench, right... er, how do you make a workbench?" Leon asked, clueless. Delta glanced at him, eyebrows raised as though Leon had just asked what colour the sky was. "It's not hard," he reasoned, taking a chunk of log and twisting it between his hands. With a soft _pop _and a flash of light four tiny blocks of wooden planks rested in his hands and Leon stared blankly. With that Delta mashed the cuboids together and with another flare they had formed a workbench that the boy tossed at the ground. Before Leon could ask why he'd done this it had expanded to form a full-sized table, complete with tools, compartments and slots in its surface.

"Whoa... shit," Leon stated blankly, confused. "And that's... it?"

"Yup," replied Delta cheerily. "It's as easy as that."

"Was never as easy as that in my world... things must've changed," Leon muttered. "How do you use it?"

"Do you know _anything_ about before your time?_" _Lexi queried, standing up and marching over to the workbench. "It's easy. Hand me some planks," she requested, holding out a hand expectantly. Leon handed her the rest of his planks, the ones he had formed, and stepped to the side. Humming to herself, she dumped them in a compartment on the side of the table and took two blocks of them, sticking them in the slots in the centre, one on top of the other. Easily she laid her hands on them and pulled them together, forming four perfect sticks.

"Like magic, almost," Lexi smirked.

"So... a three by three grid on top, put items in... get other items out. _Weird_," Leon said, but he understood the process. "Well, the more I know..."

"You can't survive without one of these," Delta told him. "Trust me- it's not that hard to use once you get used to it. Can you make us a chest?" he asked Leon.

"Er... uh, yeah, it's easy... I, just, um..."

"Think about a chest. It's a big wooden box..."

Leon understood pretty quickly, taking eight chunks of wooden planks placing them in a square on the crafting grid. Instantly, a bright light flashed and out popped a sanded, furnished chest ready to store a variety of goods. It was perfect... almost. The lid looked a little wonky and there were a few odd splinters and things sticking out of it... he'd have to practice to get it right, he guessed.

"Well, not bad." Delta admired the chest. "It will serve its purpose well."

"Fireworks are pretty explosions," Lexi murmured, and leaned against a cave wall to zone out once more.

"I'll show you all of the crafting recipes I know by heart," Delta offered to Leon. "Just think about how they look... remember the chest, how its recipe was almost the same as its actual form..."

VVVVVV

After a couple of hours Sima and Aura had changed direction three times, debated whether or not to turn back and finally made some progress towards the low hills in the distance. Aura found it quite annoying to have to move so slowly, but Sima was straining to keep up with her; at least the pair had gotten Leon off their minds.

Suddenly Aura looked up and noticed something odd in the distance. "Sima... there is something strange over there." She pointed and Sima peered, just able to make out a few odd shapes on the horizon. One was huge compared to the others and there looked to be... two of the smaller ones. It was hard to tell as they leapt around, but Sima recognised them instantly. These weren't Minecrafters.

"Mobs!" she cried gleefully, punching the air in triumph. A vision of a single huge, furious green eye flashed in Aura's mind and she placed a warning hand on Sima's shoulder.

"Wait, Sima. I don't think we should go to meet them. They seem... dangerous."  
Sima grinned up at her. "It's, it's fine, Aura. I'm good with mobs. We just need, well, we need to be a little careful. Hey!" she called, waving broadly at the distant creatures. "Hello over there!"

The cubes stopped, looking around to see who had called out. They soon spotted Sima and Aura, and started to slide towards them. Sima smiled; she hadn't seen mobs like these before, but it was such a relief to see any of the monsters she got along with so well. As they drew closer Aura could discern the bright blue spirals on the fronts of the smaller ones and the huge green eye that took up all of the larger creature's side.

The biggest cube with the green eyes stared at Sima and Aura. "You must be the Listener?" it questioned Sima. The voice sounded like stone grinding against stone. Sima, used to odd voices by now, barely reacted, but Aura winced. It was hardly a pleasant sound.

"Yes, I am," said Sima, surprised. "How, how did you know?"

"Our master told us," it replied. "Atlas the Sun Spirit ordered us to find you and the other humans."

"Sun Spirit?" Aura asked, keeping behind Sima a little. She was a little scared of this strange creature.

"He is the king of the Aether. What he says is an order."

"Oh, cool," responded Sima, imagining some huge, fiery man in a golden throne room. "Why, uh, why does he want to find us?"

The creature gave a booming laugh, and even the sentries managed creaky giggles. "So ignorant. So trusting towards the mobs as the rumors say, Sima Herdrath. Don't you see? The Monster Allies want nothing but to see the 'heroes' dead before them. Isn't it obvious that we're sent to finish all of you off?" One of his cronies creaked at him, which made the Slider look over Sima and Aura. "I heard there were five of you. Or did you fall apart already? No matter, we'll move on to the rest after making sure you two are clearly dead." He nodded at the sentries, who both leapt at once, charging for the two girls. Sima cried out as one of the metre-high creatures slammed into her chest and knocked her over, a crushing weight that glared at her with its blue-swirled face. Breath crushed out of her, she attempted to get her arms under it and throw it off, but it jumped off her on its own before smashing into her head and blurring her vision.

"Sima!" Crying out, Aura drew her bow, pointing an arrow at the cube. The arrow knocked it back, but from behind the other attacked, pushing the endergirl to the ground. Panicking, she did what her instincts told her to do, and teleported away. Attempting to roll onto her front, Sima caught a glimpse of her disappearing friend and her mouth dropped open in shock. She'd been... deserted? She whimpered again as one of the creatures hit her upside the head and made her collapse. They were as hard as rock.

VVVVV

The teleport sounded right in Leon's ear, causing him to yell with fright. Lexi jumped up from where she'd been leaning against the wall and banged her head on the cave roof.

"Shit... what the hell are you-"

Sobbing silenced his rant, looking over he saw Aura, her eyes filling with tears.

"Sima," blurted Delta. "Where is she?"

"What happened? Aura?" Leon asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"I- I ran away." Her voice was full of shame and she shook with the violence of her sobs.

"From?" Lexi questioned.

Silently the endergirl pointed down below, indicating the monster cubes. Sima was on the ground some distance away, curled up in a ball, her arms wrapped around her head in a futile attempt to deflect the creatures' attacks.

"What in the-" Leon was beyond words.

"Who were they sent by?" asked Delta.

"Better yet, what the hell are they? Nevermind what they are-I'm going down there..."  
"They said they were sent by a sun god, to destroy the 'heroes'." Aura's eyes had dried slightly. "I can teleport you there."

Lexi leaned over the edge to get a better view.

"Sun god... sky... Aether?"

Delta cursed. "I should have known... Atlas." He brought his sword out. "We need to hurry. I never met one of those kinds before, but if they're Atlas' minions, Sima's in big trouble."  
Leon looked more confused than he had ever been in his life, but he accepted Aura's offer without argument, or another word.

"Hold on," the endergirl commanded, then, with more focus than she had ever mustered in her life, she teleported the group to a small hill just south of the cubes.

"I won't be much use up close," Leon warned the group as they appeared down on the grassy hillock. "I'll try not to hit any of you," he promised as he raised his rifle to his shoulder and took aim.

Aura did the same with her bow, shame still clear on her features.

"Would normal weapons work on them?" Lexi muttered.

"No idea. Never fought them before," said Delta. "But I'm going down."

Leon fired off the first shot, hitting the largest cube and grabbing its attention as Delta began his charge.

Aura shot each arrow with as much force as she could muster, her aim perfect. With one passing blow to Sima's head the two smaller cubes sped across the plains towards the four, hopping from side to side rapidly in what appeared to be an effort to evade projectiles. Several bullets hit one of the cubes and injured it heavily, but it continued its charge.  
Lexi sneaked around the cubes to Sima and tugged on her arm. The girl was holding her head, trying to stem the flow of blood that the cubes had induced. At Lexi's pull she looked up and smiled weakly. "Wasn't a good idea to meet them after all," she murmured, slurring her words with concussion.

Delta ran straight to the biggest cube and slashed his sword at the Slider. The iron blade bounced off, not leaving even a dent on the cube. Leon and Aura continued to fire, attempting to shoot around Delta; their shots did damage, but they hardly registered.

"So your boss is Atlas?" Delta asked the Slider while dodging his attacks.

"Yes," he grated, zooming to the side and rushing past Delta. "I am Quadratus, lieutenant of Cybus, the greatest Slider ever to live in the Aether."

"Great, there's a boss for Sliders," muttered Delta. He had no idea how to kill this monster. His sword didn't work, and neither did Leon's bullets or Aura's birch-coloured arrows. What was this thing made out of anyway? There had to be a way to bring them down...

Quadratus charged again, and Delta managed to sidestep and clip one of the Slider's vertices with his sword.

Out of the corner of his eye, Leon noticed that Aura, who before had shot so many arrows surely the cube would resemble a hedgehog, was frozen, staring down at Delta and Quadratus, as though seeing something entirely different. "What is it?" His voice was concerned; he'd never seen someone stand so still.

"Tell... Tell Delta to use his pick." Her voice was almost silent.

"DELTA!" Leon cried, slightly perplexed. "Aura says to... er... use a pick!" he yelled. "I have no idea why," he muttered to himself.

Delta looked up briefly to where Leon and Aura were. "A pickaxe? What?" he asked. He'd never even thought of fighting a monster with his pick.

"Just do it!" Leon yelled as he reloaded his rifle.

Seeing that Delta was off-guard, Quadratus barrelled towards him, smacking him full in the face. Skidding to a halt, Delta exchanged his sword for the pickaxe he had, the other hand clutching his nose as blood seeped through his fingers. "Alright then," he grunted. "Let's see if this bad boy can be mined." Tightening his grip on the handle, he jumped at the Slider. The cube lurched back in alarm at the sudden charge, but wasn't quick enough to evade a blow from the pickaxe.

The cube lurched back, obviously in pain; struck by the pickaxe, it had been wounded for the first time.

"Finish it off!" Leon cried, standing back on the hillock. He could do nothing, and Aura's arrows had proven useless. Delta had to take care of the Slider; the two squared off, and cube vaguely aware that it was now facing a dangerous foe.

"N-no," Sima protested, voice wobbly. Lexi had hoisted her to her feet and they had stumbled a short way from the battle. "L-leave him... we can just g-go..."

Delta halted, considering Sima's suggestion. But the Slider did not stop its attack; it threw its body forward menacingly, and Delta barely stepped backwards in time to evade the blow.  
"You're telling me to let this monster go?" asked Delta incredulously as Quadratus turned on the spot to face him again.

"Y-yes," Sima said weakly. "J-just leave him. Please. We can just go..."

"Oh I will if he'll stop attacking me!" yelled Delta. "He looks like he wants to smash my face again."

The cube lurched forward once more, and it was clear that there would be no stopping the aggression. Delta was faced with a difficult choice and, against Sima's weak protests, decided to finish the attackers off.

A sentry leapt between Delta and Quadratus, but he just whacked the little cube away with the tip of his pick, shattering it. The other one seemed to have realised that Delta's tool killed them so easily, so it hesitated on its spot, pondering whether to attack or not.  
"Please go!" Sima pleaded, seeing its hesitation. "Just go!"

"NO! KILL THEM ALL," commanded Quadratus, little pieces of himself falling from the scar Delta left on him. "WE HAVE OUR ORDERS TO FINISH THEM. ATTACK!"  
Sima sagged in despair. "He's going to kill you! Just _run!"_

"FINISH HIM!" Leon urged. "What are you waiting for? Kill him before he kills you!"

Beside him Aura whispered; "Death is the end of everything, nothing deserves it, no matter how cruel."

"Don't lecture me on death," Leon growled. "I've seen ten times more death and sorrow than you have."

"Want to bet?" Her voice was pained.

"I'll take you up on that," he hissed back.

Before Delta could decide, the sentry jumped, not for him, but towards Sima.

"Sima!" yelled Delta. "Watch out-" It didn't leap for her face as he had expected, however; the swirl-faced cube ducked behind the girl's legs and hid there as she turned and crouched to reach it, smiling weakly. She placed her hands on either side of it and attempted to hug it, though it didn't work well with its cuboid form and the thing squirmed in her grip.  
Quadratus' eyes filled with fury. "TRAITOR!" he roared. "SEEKING SHELTER IN THE ARMS OF YOUR ENEMIES! YOU SHALL BE PUNISHED FOR YOUR TREASONOUS ACTS."

The little cube seemed to glare at him defiantly from Sima's side and the girl stood to do the same, barely hiding her continued dizziness. "N-no. Just... leave. Please. L-leave her with me."  
Growling, the Slider attempted to zoom towards Sima, but found his path blocked by Delta.  
"If the sentry wants to stay with her, it will," he growled. "Want to be smashed into pieces? I'm more than happy to do so." He raised his pickaxe in a threatening way. Sima bit her lip next to the sentry, but didn't say anything. There was no reasoning with Quadratus.

The cube glared at Delta resentfully. He was aware that he was greatly outnumbered; all his had been minions taken or killed by the humans. Never he had expected that he would fail.  
"Well? What are you waiting for?" called Delta. "We're giving you a chance to retreat."  
Quadratus was torn; if he returned to Atlas, his fate would be worse than that of his minions. But he would face death and humiliation at the hands of the User, the one who called himself Delta...

"Fine," the Slider grated, glaring at Delta with his huge green eyes. "But this is not over, humans! The monsters and the Human Alliance will prevail!" And he zoomed away as fast as he could, probably back to his boss.

Sima sighed. "Why does everybody have to be obsessed with killing everybody else...?"

"Dunno... All villains are like that," shrugged Delta, still trying to stem the flow of blood from his nose. "You okay though, Sima? We were worried."

"She could use a bit of medical attention," Leon noticed as he followed behind Delta, his rifle slung over his shoulder. "It's not urgent, but we need to get her to shelter. It's almost nightfall," he pointed out, motioning to the sun sinking behind the high mountaintops.  
"Oh, right," Sima agreed distantly, holding her still-bleeding head. "Th-thanks for helping me, guys. Th-thanks."

"No problem," said Delta. "Friends help each other."

Working together, Delta and Leon heaved Sima onto her feet and helped her walk back towards the cave as darkness began to fall across the land, Aura, Lexi and a very nervous-looking sentry close behind.

VVVVV

Gathered around a small table, the assembly was very quiet and brooding. Here sat some of the most despicable humans and mobs to ever walk the earth, waiting for the news from their scout.

"My king, it looks like Quadratus has returned," a bird with bright green and violet plumage whispered to something huge and hovering.

"Good. Is he alone?" the floating figure spoke in a deep, but quiet voice.

"It appears so, my king."

The figure was silent for a moment. "Cybus," he rumbled. "Go forth and talk to your scout." A Slider, even bigger than Quadratus, slid across the floor quickly, facing Quadratus. After a series of metallic grinding noises, Cybus turned.

"From what Quadratus informs us, my king," the Slider talked. "The heroes were victorious over him and his minions. They were stronger than he thought."

The multicoloured bird cackled, clearly amused. "What did I say?" he laughed. "Sliders are untrustworthy failures. You should have ordered me instead-"

"Silence, Cicuta," the tall figure boomed, and the bird immediately shrank back. "I've had enough of your jabberings. But you," he turned to Quadratus. "You dare turn up here again? To only deliver the news of defeat to us? You're not worthy to live." Quadratus was shaking with fear, his eyes wide and staring.

"Now is not the time to give such punishments, Atlas," another figure growled in the shadows. This one spoke with a deep voice as well, only more metallic and cold. "We need every force we have to rid the humans."

"I concur," a lean figure hissed, a golden crown glittering on his head. "We can decide to spare him or not after this matter is settled."

"There is no need to rush this," a suave, chilling voice rang out, cold and clear. The leader of the Brotherhood, a post-apocalyptic zealot organization, made his opinion obvious. "They cannot leave this trap...why hurry?"

"I agree," a female voice said. It was that of Mina Wycokrwyz, president of the Loyalist government of modern Minecraftia. "There is no need to rush on any decision."

"Still, the news the Slider brought us is quite alarming," the Creeper King hissed. "I don't underestimate Delta824, but with all five of them combined, I have no idea what to expect."

"Leon Walker is a dangerous man, and should not be underestimated," Mina warned. "Most of your... _servants_... will be at a disadvantage to him."

"Ah, yes, because of that noise-stick!" Cicuta squawked.

"Guns, we call them," the Brotherhood leader corrected.

"Whatever. They're loud, noisy, and scary," Cicuta sneered.

"As we were saying," said one of the figures, coming out from the shadows to reveal hundreds of rods circling his smoking body. "The humans are faring quite well in this prison. We all expected Leon Walker and Sima Herdrath to... ah, cancel each other out."

Three voices, devoid of emotion, sniffed. Six grey eyes were dubious and three pale mouths were set in thin lines. _We highly doubt that their hostility will last long. Sima Herdrath has a tendency to... avoid conflict. It is _most_ irritating._

"Then perhaps we ought to strike more quickly? Only to separate those two?" the Brotherhood leader suggested.

"Indeed," the Creeper King agreed. "The others... they won't be a problem after we divide them up."

"The old divide and conquer strategy?" asked the Spider Queen below him.

"Indeed," the Creeper King replied. "It always works well."

"Then this matter is settled for now," the Blaze Lord spoke. "We shall decide the fate of Quadratus later. There are more pressing matters to be taken care of now."


	3. Revelations

**A/N: Flu: HA I GOT TO THIS BIT FIRST! Take that, my fellow collaborators!**

**HPE24: I was the one that reminded you of the A/N. *pouts* **

**Exb: You guys confused me. I'll just be here.**

**Flu: Well, you're certainly not being lazy today. :D**

**Lexi: Must. Play. RuneScape. And. Remove. Maths. From. Head. And. Beat. My. Friend's. Sister. (Not likely...) Shut up (Nope) Stupid voices...**

**Exb: Certainly not lazy :D But I have lots to do. So I did as much writing as I could.**

**Flu: Pah. Fine. But there is something we must address here. Therefore, have a quote from KatrinaLinden.**

"**Me: (...)I can foresee a lot of anger towards this book- people don't like being told what to believe.**

**The writer: Every 10 fans someone has, they've got 1 hater, it's the circle of life, my friend****  
****Me: Indeed, sadly.**

**Writer: Not quite sadly, nobody's perfect and a lot of such people can act as a unique and constructive viewpoint and approach to what one does."**

**So yeah. :D You guys have anything else to say?**

**Exb: Bees.**

**HPE24: THE COVER. AWESOME COVER DONE IN PAINT HAAAAAHAAAAHAAAA. Bigger version in my dA page people! HA**

**Lexi: Where's Katrina?**

**Flu: She died horribly. ;-; Still, we have an awesome cover and she wrote a vision and stuff. Well, we all wrote lots of stuff. But still. ON WITH THE CHAPTER. **

Leon, Delta, Sima, Lexi and Aura filed into the cave, Aura ducking slightly to fit into its entrance and Sima stumbling to collapse near the fire, the sentry following her with small jumps and coming to rest beside her.

"Wow... I _never _want to fight Sliders again," groaned Delta as he sat down tiredly. "Oh damn it, that Slider hit me hard," he added, still wiping blood away from his face.

Aura took one look at Sima and announced she was off to get some ice. Returning a minute later, she placed the rather large frosty block on the cave floor. Leon gaped, as confused as ever, because she hadn't even minimised to pick it up; the metre-long cube had been full-sized in her hands until she placed it down.

"Delta, pass me your sword."

Confused, he gave her the weapon, with which she chipped a fist-sized piece of the stone-hard ice, catching it in her pale hand. Pulling a strip of cloth off the edge of her pants, she bound it around the ice. This she gave to Sima. "Press this where it hurts most on your head." Nodding gently, Sima took it and held it against a patch of blood-soaked hair, gasping at its chill and retracting her hand for a moment before she worked up the courage to apply it again.

"Now, Sima, look at the fire," instructed Aura, indicating to the flames beside her. The girl obliged, blinking at the brightness that scattered white spots across her vision and hurt her eyes.

"Now look at me." As she obeyed, Aura studied her unmoving pupils, sighing slightly. "She's concussed."

"Hurts," Sima agreed, voice small and distant.

Making another temporary ice-pack, smaller this time, she ordered Delta to hold this on the bridge of his nose until the bleeding stopped.

"Thanks," said Delta gratefully. As he moved to take the ice, he grunted in pain as his sore ribs started to ache again.

"You guys should have run," muttered Aura darkly, cutting a few more pieces of ice.

"Tried, tried to get them to," mumbled Sima, still clutching her head. "N, no-one listens. Ever."

Aura shot a hateful glance at Leon, remembering their discussion earlier. "We can't really move on until they've healed," she explained, still glaring at him.

"Fine," he retorted, glowering at her in return. "We can wait."

"Well, I'm going to sleep," Lexi declared, flopping onto the cave floor and beginning to snore almost immediately. This earned her the stares of the others for a moment before Aura announced that it was probably a good idea.

"There's no way I'm sleeping with that _thing _in here," Leon snarled, pointing at the sentry that sat beside Sima. "I don't trust it." It made an irritated creaking noise.

"Well, well _deal _with it," Sima retorted, words slurring drunkenly still as she draped an arm over the sentry. It shifted awkwardly under her arm, still unused to being touched.

Before Leon could reply, Delta said, "Look, Leon, Sima can keep whatever she likes. She's the Listener, after all. She knows about mobs more than both of us."

"Tha'ss _right," _slurred Sima, pointing at him with floppy limbs. Her concussion didn't appear to be getting any better. "I know-" she stopped suddenly and cocked her head as though listening to the sentry. "Oh, right," she said softly. Sima sat back slowly against the wall and very gently leaned her head against it, closing her eyes and letting out a long sigh.

"Leon, stay up, see if I care." Ignoring the man's scowl, Aura sank against the wall, trying to find some way to be comfortable on the cold, hard stone.

"I'll keep watch, I suppose. Seems like no one else is willing to," he growled, standing at the aperture to the cave.

Delta sighed as well. "At least we lived through all that," he reasoned.

Leon gave a rather bitter laugh. "Yeah. Maybe if we're lucky we'll live through tomorrow, too."

Delta glanced at Sima and asked, "Why are you so hostile to her anyway? She's done nothing wrong to you."

The older man laughed again as Sima's eyes narrowed and her distant gaze found his. "Well, you see... it started about two hundred years before I was born, I guess. I was never big on history, so I don't remember everything," Leon started.

"W-well, tell me, tell me what you know," Sima said.

"It started, I suppose, with the discovery of steam power and oil in the world. Fuel for the most powerful of machines... fuel that blood would be spilled for. Coal was also sought after for steam engines... deep beneath the earth, in caves still populated with mobs. Tens of thousands of mobs were murdered by explorers desperate to find coal."

Sima's hand was covering her mouth to hold her horror in, teeth biting down on her index finger that they drew blood. Her eyes were wide open and bloodshot, suddenly fully alert and comprehending as Leon wove a tale of mob slaughter and incineration at the hands of greedy prospectors.

"Aye. Over a period of ten years, the slaughter ramped up... until Gideon Ravine. That was the most interesting history lesson I've ever had," Leon smiled.

"G-G-Gideon R-Ravine?" Sima asked, her teeth chattering. She was truly horrified now, and Leon knew it.

"You probably don't want to hear about it," Leon said, showing some humanity. "I know how much you'll hate it..."

"Go on... t-tell me... I should, I need to know about these things," Sima managed, gasping for breath. She avoided Leon's eyes, gazing down wearily at the floor.

"Gideon Ravine... eight hundred miners and prospectors armed with repeating rifles and trumpets and riding horses. They said that nearly eight thousand mobs carpeted the floor of the ravine that day. Drove most of them straight off the cliff," Leon told the story.

The girl cried out and buried her face in her hands. _Oh god... no... no... _The sentry at her side shifted closer to her, granite-y hide rough and yet somehow comforting against her.

Delta stared at him disbelievingly. Even though he had killed loads of mobs in his life, this was really wrong to him. "Killed all of them... for resources?" he stuttered.

"Oil and coal were as valuable as diamonds back then," Leon explained. "The tycoons did whatever they could to get their hands on veins of them, including killing other people. In about twenty years, most mobs were extinct or critically endangered."

"C-creepers?" Sima stuttered, not wanting to believe it. It felt like she was saying _Moss _at the same time. "Skeletons?" _Sarah. _"Sp... spiders?" _Red._

"Everything except for some slimes and the endermen. The endermen had a dimension to flee to... the slimes were deep enough to avoid extinction for a while. But they, too, were killed when uranium was discovered deeper into the earth." Sima felt like she was choking. None of the others heard the Listener's voice in her head.

_Skeletons and endermen live a long time. Obsidian and Sarah..._

"Oh no," the girl whispered. "No, there's no way..."

"Almost none survived. The ground was delved into so deeply... I'm sorry for your loss. I wouldn't have launched a mass genocide for some reason like that. Never." Leon, for the first time, had expressed some sympathy for Sima, even though he had been relishing her horror earlier. Perhaps it was because he knew how it felt to lose a close friend...

"L-Leon," she said, voice tiny, "m-my friends... two of them... Sarah the s, skeleton, Obsidian the enderman... they would've still... been... alive for that." She was nearly inaudible.

"Perhaps they were. And they didn't deserve to die like that... I saw pictures of the massive genocides perpetrated on the mobs. Some of them, the ones who could speak... they tried to parlay with the hunters. It was... gut-wrenching." Her head fell into her hands again. She wanted to sink into the Void and die there right now. No, no, no, no...

"And after that... there was a period of stability and growth. I was born then... but then everything started to fall apart again. People in the north wanted to secede, brigands fought each other in the rural countryside. It was chaotic... and that was before the disasters struck."

For fifteen minutes, Leon told his own story, of how Minecraftian civilization fell apart in the span of a single week.

"How is that possible?" asked Delta, aghast. "Generations of heroes have fought for humanity, decade after decade. All those... just gone in one week?"

"All of it, tossed away. Cities burned, people fled, entire towns were murdered by roaming thugs. And the forests... how they burned..." Sima shook her head silently, feeling her head fogging up again.

"We killed one another without a second thought. It was horrifying... even worse if you were trapped in the middle of it. To watch your entire family die... and see those damn pacifists stand to the side, doing absolutely nothing! Unwilling to get involved, to fight back... _they did nothing_..."

Sima blinked slowly, drowsily at him. "But I... I get involved. I don't... leave people behind. I thought... you'd know?" She explained, feeling slow and stupid, how she'd been caught in the thick of the battle of Voidmouth and stopped it by just speaking, how she'd got two hundred Minecrafters and a hundred mobs treating each other as equals. Speaking simply, she recounted her recent venture in Swampheart, the prison city; she'd seen all those mobs in a terrible place and freed them, with some difficulty, she admitted.

"It's hard for me to see it from your point of view... and I'm sure you have difficulty seeing my side of the story," Leon spoke, waiting for Sima to finish her entire tale.

"Y-your side of the story?"

"The side where I hate the pacifists. See it from my point of view... your nation is burning, and there are people simply standing to the side because they lack the balls to do a single thing. Those were my pacifists... the hatred I have for them will never be purged from my mind," Leon answered, his face dark and malevolent.

Sima sighed, closing her eyes. "Y-yeah. Yeah, I see that. That was... that was stupid of them. But we're not like that. I mean, I mean I'm not like that," she corrected herself hurriedly, having thought of herself and the Listener at first. She didn't want to sound any more insane.  
"We? Why'd you say we?" Leon asked, suddenly perking up. Sima groaned under her breath.  
"W-well... you've heard, uh..." she laughed a little, "you've heard stories about me, right? How much, uh, have you heard?"

"There were tales... nobody really believes that the Listener exists. It all seems too fake to be true... but tell me, is it true?"

Sima burst out laughing this time, but stopped abruptly and groaned as her head raged against the movement. "T-true? It's... it's gotten me through the most, well, the most dangerous things I've ever done." She giggled a little hysterically at the thought of not having it. "I'd, I'd be _dead_ if I didn't have it. It, it spoke for me in, uh, in Voidmouth and helped me out of Swampheart... oh _man, _if I didn't have it..."

"I know well about the... ahem... _Listener_. That part of your history was often the butt of many jokes in history class. People always thought you were crazy... and too passive."  
"Crazy..." Sima laughed again. "P-probably. I can't, can't doubt that it speaks for me, though."  
Leon looked at Sima as if she was the plague; he shook his head and turned away from her, back towards the half-conscious and injured Delta.

"I cannot accept you yet. I'm sorry if I sounded immature earlier... and I regret that. But I can't find it in my heart to accept you, Sima. I'm sorry." The girl bit her lip, humour gone from her face.

"I... understand," she said quietly, more saddened and disappointed this time than angry. "Makes sense for you. I guess I... can't, can't make peace with everyone," she whispered.  
Leon had no more to say. He left the two to sit around the simple fire, and went to stand by the mouth of the cave while Delta started to doze off.

"I'll stay sentry. Stay up as long as you'd like, it won't bother me," were the last words he said before he began to stare out at the moonlit taiga, a snowy forest full of hostile mobs. Sima caught a glimpse of glowing eyes past him and smiled slightly, relieved that something out there was left to glow. She leaned against the cave wall as she was so used to doing and closing her eyes, the sentry at her side.

VVVVV

Leon's eyes were well-trained to spot danger, and he scanned the trees for anything lurking. There was almost no movement; the night was cold and clear, and no disturbances occurred.  
Well, until around midnight.

A spider's excited chittering met his ears, but he didn't hear what it was really saying. _"I'm telling you, guys, there's something weird up there! We gotta go see!" _He peered at the taiga to spot the noisy creature and could make out the biggest spider he'd ever seen, three feet high and just as long. It was followed by two tall men with green skin and darker forest-coloured hair, identifying them as zombies by their awkward gait and ripped-up, rotting flesh. Beside them was a walking skeleton, bow held nonchalantly in one bony hand and quiver slung across its back, and one of the long-necked beasts he recognised as a creeper from books he'd had to read as a kid.

"_I bet you're insane," _Leon didn't hear the skeleton retort, flicking the spider in the head. _"The cave's just lit up by lava or something."_

"_S' worth a try," _a zombie reasoned. _"If it's nothin' an' Spider's just stupid, we can get back to th' taiga quick."_

"_Well, I see someone standing at the entrance," _the creeper rasped, pointing with its head at Leon, _"so we can always ask them if there's anything interesting in there."_

"_Looks like a zombie," _said the other undead man, voice clear and young as he squinted with his one remaining eye at the figure framed against the firelight. _"It's pretty hard to see, though."_

"_Hey! Hey, Zombie!" _called the spider, jumping nearly two blocks into the air to see. _"Hey!"_  
Its greeting was returned by a bullet tearing into its abdomen. The arachnid shrieked in pain, thrashing on the ground as the brains of one of the zombies were shattered into oblivion and the undead collapsed with a gurgling growl, dead once more. Cursing sharply, the skeleton nocked an arrow to its bow and fired in one swift movement, but the arrow fell short of its target and several more bullets cut through the cold air. The creeper was pierced by three, and the last of its life was expelled in a long, drawn out hiss as its lungs were punctured by the killer projectiles.

"_That's no zombie!" _the skeleton cried, knocked to the ground by the spider's thrashing. Almost as soon as it had started, the hail of projectiles stopped. The other zombie too was on the ground beside the whimpering spider, waiting for something to happen...

VVVVV

_The torchlight barely lit up the room, throwing massive shadows in all directions. Shivering, Aura stepped forward. A hissing erupted from the far end of the room, causing the Endergirl to jump with fright. Sudden light blinded her and blinking she looked at the source, four flickering torches, two on either wall at her sides, the light framing two doorways. In the right doorway, still as the stone it seemed made of, a cube even bigger than the one she'd fought earlier watched silently. The hissing faded, and from it's source another torch lit, illuminating three thrones, each as magnificent as were terrifying the beings sitting upon them. Two of them had the features of Minecrafters, their faces unreadable. Aura shuddered, examining closer the third, his gleaming crown slightly lopsided on his leafy head. His mouth was little more than a slash, permanently upturned in a frown. Very little could have pulled her eyes from the creeper, but for the two strange creatures, both hovering beside the thrones._

_One was little more than a multitude of flames and bright golden sticks, the latter swirling around its body like a fiery tornado. The other seemed featureless, his face cast in shadow beside the creeper._

_It was the Minecrafter woman who spoke first, her mouth twisting into a sneer. "Cicuta, bring forth the prisoners."_

_A dull squark sounded through the left passage, followed by a bird of ridiculously bright feathers, violet and green. It lowered its head to the ground, effectively tugging on the shackle that was fastened to its neck. "Move on," it ordered, voice harsh, yet still high-pitched._

_Heart racing, Aura stared as a short figure shuffled in, feet and hands bound in chains that linked to the bird's. The Endergirl stared at the light brown pants, plain black hair and dull grey shirt, the clothes and features of Sima Herdrath. Aura nearly choked in fear, she tried to run forward, but found she could not move her feet, as though she too, were chained. _  
_Stuck in place, she watched as Sima was followed by Delta, Lexi, and Leon. The chain did not end, and Aura witnessed herself, her feet dragging, trying with all her might to break free. Aura knew herself well enough to be certain that by now, she would have tried to teleport._

"_Not good," she whispered as Cicuta tugged the five forward, commanding them to bow before their leaders. Sima sank hopelessly to the ground, Lexi followed, shivering, obviously the danger was imminent enough for even she to see. Leon stood his ground, his head raised defiantly, glaring at his hated enemies. Delta stood, too, yet his head was bowed. The bound Aura carefully navigated around the chains, coming to a stop, her back to the nameless monsters. Her eyes caught the viewer. Aura knew she could not be seen, yet meaning was found in her own eyes. Nodding, she turned back, just in time to hear a command from the Creeper King._

"_Prepare the execution."_

VVVVV

"What are you doing, Leon?" Sima cried, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. The gunfire had woken her and she'd stumbled to the man's side, aghast at the sight of the bodies on the plain. Lexi started awake and blinked blearily. Aura still slept, her moon-white face still as death. Lexi poked Delta.

"Hey Delta... WAKE UP!"

Delta's eyes snapped open. "What? What's going on?"

"...I dunno. I think... zombies... a skelly... spider... and creeper. But why'd he shoot 'em?"

He turned to Leon. "Leon? What's going on down there?"

"They're hostiles, better to take them out from a distance-"

"NO! DON'T KILL THEM!" Sima cried, leaping out and grabbing at Leon's rifle. She knocked the weapon out of his grasp, sending it scattering across the cave floor. She fell onto the floor herself, landing hard after launching herself violently at the gun.

"They're monsters-"

"THEY'RE NOT MONSTERS! THEY'RE FRIENDS!" Sima yelled, pushing him as hard as she could. It wasn't very hard "DON'T KILL THEM!"

Leon was dumbstruck. Without his weapon, he stood stock-still whilst Sima, choking back tears, called down at the monsters on the plain. The zombie and skeleton were trying to take cover, and the spider thrashed in its wounded state.

"Spider! Zombie! Skeleton!" Sima called out, sliding down the hillock and down to the plains, the sentry close on her heels. "Are you okay?"

"_That beast done nearly killed us all!"_ the zombie roared, shaking its fist violently at Leon. The fist fell off, but the zombie continued to shake until he realized that he was missing a hand.

"_Ah, I've done lost me hand again,_" he muttered, stooping to pick it back up.

"_What the hell do you think you're doing, you crazy creatures?" _the_ s_keleton asked as Sima approached them, stopping at a respectful distance.

"He's j-just a stupid, stupid, _stupid _m-monster," stuttered the girl, dashing to the wounded spider and crouching next to him. "Oh g-god, he's... b-bleeding b-badly," Sima sobbed, ascertaining the nature of the arachnid's wounds.

"_Aye, yer friend fired his boomy thingy an' kil't Creeper an' Zombie here,"_ the zombie said. _"And Spider's not gonna last the night... much less ten more minutes._"

"Is everyone alright down here?" Delta called from the cave.

"_We bloody well ain't!" _the zombie spat. "_Yer friend up there just slew two of me best mates! Eh, and he's got that loud arrow-shootin' contraption too..."_

"_It's a gun, Zombie," _hissed the skeleton, disgust in its voice as it too crouched by its arachnid friend. _"I remember them. Sort of... we don't have any hope of healing Spider's wounds."_

Lexi rummaged around her backpack and found a first aid kit. Grabbing it, she stumbled down the hillside and held it out.

"This help?"

The skeleton stared and the zombie blinked at her until the former gently took it from her hand and opened it. _"Thank you," _it whispered, grinning up at her. As though it had been doing it for years the skeleton began to treat the wound. It shoved away Zombie's clumsy fingers, but welcomed Sima's eager, agile hands when she offered to help.

Delta, meanwhile, turned to Leon, trying to say something without angering him. "Did they show hostility before you fired, Leon?" he asked, deciding to start off reasonably.

"Um... not really..." Delta raised his eyebrows. "Okay, they just approached. I thought they were trying to come up here..."

Delta sighed exasperatedly. "Leon, I do like your wariness, but you should have thought about Sima. You know how much she cares about mobs, even though they're hostile. Perhaps consulting her before opening fire would have been a better choice."

Back on the plain, Zombie noticed that the creature who had been shooting at them was now distracted and got up to creep towards the two dead mobs. He let out an unearthly moan at the sight of them, kneeling beside the limp and bloody body of Creeper and shaking it gently. The corpse crumbled into dust at its touch and three lead pellets fell to the ground soundlessly, vanishing amongst the grass. This done, the zombie moved to its green-skinned fellow and smiled weakly at the sight of its decimated face, noting its much slower fading. The grey flakes drifted in pairs and threes into the sky, leaving the younger zombie looking as though it was being nibbled by a thousand tiny insects. It'd probably be gone by the morning; if not, Zombie reasoned, it would burn. Either way, it would be gone. Forever. _"Never were one t' give up quick, were ya?" _chuckled the zombie half-heartedly.

Lexi absently wondered out loud, "Why do they turn to dust?"

The zombie glanced at her, surprised. _"They just do," _she barely heard it tell her. Spiders were hardest, they talked too quickly for to pick up easily. Maybe they have ADHD or something.

She tilted her head. "Yea, but why?"

"_Well..." _the zombie trailed off. _"I dunno. Maybe it's 'cause Herobrine don't like bodies lying 'round," _it grinned.

"So _that's_ why he don't hang around the keep much..."

The creature's brow furrowed. _"Keep? Wha?"_

"Banhammer Keep is where I'm from, as far as I can remember. Before that, not much," she shrugged.

"_Huh. So you know Herobrine?"_

"Work for him."

Zombie grinned again. _"Niiiice." _It seemed utterly accepting of the statement.

"Thanks," she smiled back.

"_I've done enough to keep him alive. He won't be back on his feet for a while," _the skeleton said, patching up the spider's bloody wounds.

Sima smiled before making a face at the blood covering her hands. "No, no thanks to a certain _someone," _she growled, glancing up at Leon, who had come down from the cave.

"_I'm_ sorry, I was just attempting to defend myself-"

"From, from the very creatures I've _told _you are friendly? Some, some hero _you _are," she snapped, pushing him again with blood-soaked hands.

"They seemed so _hostile_ though-"

"_Hostile?" _the skeleton sneered. _"Spider was excited. He jumped up to say _hello." Leon heard Sima echo the creature in a whisper as it spoke.

"Jumped up to say hello my ass... he was just waiting to take a bite out of my leg-"

"I _wish _he had!" yelled Sima.

"Well, excuse me for trying to protect us..."

Leon stood off to the side, still clutching his rifle tightly. Every other member of the group was now allied against him to some extent.

Aura stomped down the hillside and forcibly grabbed Leon and Sima, then teleported them to different corners of the cave.

"You can fight tomorrow, _I need sleep!_"

Leon shook his head, cursing Sima under his breath. He laid against the mossy wall of the cave, and shut his eyes tightly. "No more sentry duty tonight... someone else can take watch. I don't care about those _stupid _monsters anyway," he spat. Sima rushed straight back to the entrance to ask if the mobs needed anything, but the zombie and skeleton assured her they'd be fine.

"_I don't want anything more to do with that... _thing," the skeleton told her as the zombie tenderly picked up Spider. They set off into the night and Sima bid them goodbye as the sentry tiredly hopped back up the hill and to her side. The pair made their way back into the cave and found a spot as far from Leon as they could get, collapsing to sleep. Seeing that everything was relatively settled down, Delta sank back to the floor and drifted off to sleep. Aura lay down at the back of the cave and closed her eyes, exhausted, her face worried but her mouth shut. Lexi couldn't be buggered to walk back to the cave, instead climbing a tree and... zzz...

VVVVV

Leon woke early in the morning, exhausted after last night's events. He decided it would be good to get out early at dawn, away from the others. While everyone else was still deep in sleep, Leon collected his rifle, some gear, and went out to look for food.

There was only one monster on the plain, a zombie catching on fire. Leon ignored it as he walked past, heading for the taiga.  
_"Well, there goes me shirt,_" the zombie said calmly, burning. _"I suppose me pants are next. Oh well._"

Leon ignored the burning reanimated and continued into the snowy forest until a cow came into sight. The large bovine was ignorant of everything around it, staring idly at one of the tall fir trees. Leon knew this would only take a moment; he drew out his combat knife, prepared to strike at the cow.

Then something stirred deep in the forest; Leon, paranoid as usual, stepped behind one of the tree trunks and hid from whatever was stalking through the forest. The humanoid figure walked past the cow, ignoring it; it was dressed up in black combat armor, carrying what appeared to be a military-grade assault rifle. The heavily armed and armoured soldier, wearing a set of night vision goggles to boot, passed the small clearing without noticing Leon, and disappeared back into the brush.

Leon knew exactly what it was. Without even thinking about the cow, and the sumptuous beef it would provide, he ran full sprint back towards the cave.

VVVVV

Aura's eyes fluttered open and she got to her feet drowsily, stretching her long arms. Looking around the cave to see everyone still asleep, she crept outside and breathed in the crisp early morning air. She lazily surveyed the plain, taking in the gently swaying long grass, the grazing herd of sheep over there and the man in black sprinting towards her.

Wait, what?

Only when she'd whipped her bow out did she realise it was Leon, looking rather panicked as she dashed towards the cave. "What have you done _now?" _she called, lowering the weapon. Slightly.

"Back... in... the forest... I saw..."

"Spit it out, will you?" Aura asked, annoyed.

"One of... the Loyalist soldiers... special operations guys... the men in black... back in the woods..." Leon was obviously out of breath, and he stooped over in the cave entrance.

"Soldiers?" Aura's eyes widened in fear. "Are they from your time?"

"Yes... they're government soldiers. I don't know how many there are, or how they got here, but they're here. At least... one of them..."

"What kind of weapons do they have?"

"Like mine, essentially. Military-grade assault rifles and advanced combat weaponry... much more powerful than your... _bow_," Leon explained. The talk of 'rifles' went straight over the endergirl's head, but she nodded.

"How can I trust you? Give me a _reason _to trust you," Aura ordered coldly.

"GUYSGUYSGUYS!" Lexi ran up behind them. "More people... I dunno who... with guns... and morning!"

"See? Two people agree-"

"Never trust Lexi," warned Aura. "She's delirious due to cookies... she sees... _things_."

"Sometimes... I haven't had _too many_ cookies lately," Lexi stated. "Just... a few dozen. Yesterday."

"And I _cannot _trust you," Aura snapped. "You're just making stories up to frighten us."

"I'm _not _lying-"

Delta was waking up over in his corner, stirring and opening his eyes sleepily. So was Sima; she was slower to rise than the User. The sentry nudged her up and she blearily stared at the arguing trio, still feeling a little concussed. Healing didn't seem as fast as it had been where she had come from.

"I'm telling you, I saw one of those out there-"

Sima moaned. "_Now _what?"

"Leon says he saw something out in the forest. A soldier from his time... _utterly preposterous_. He's just trying to scare us," Aura accused.

Sima huffed. "I wouldn't, wouldn't be surprised. He's enough of a jerk to want to."

"I saw nothing. I'm going back to the forest and look for food," Lexi stated firmly before going to do just that. "Enjoy arguing 'til your jaws fall off."

"He has no evidence, does he?" Sima asked blearily, as the sentry hopped around her in circles, quite content with itself.

"Nothing. Lexi said she saw something, but you can't believe her," Aura said. "Too much sugar..."

"He's, he's messing with you," Sima said. "Leon, don't make things up-we've had about enough of you, and it's only, only been a day..."

"I _saw _him out there, I'll swear by it-"

"Can't you, can't you go do something _useful_?" asked Sima, exasperated. "Just, just _go_. Let us all have some peace..."

Leon, exhausted and breathless, stomped back out of the cave behind Lexi, heading out for the plains.

Sima stared after him for a moment before wincing as the Listener screamed something about peacemaking and her utter ineptitude at it in her ears.

"Maybe he was right? What if he did see someone out there?" Delta suggested, crunching on a loaf of bread for breakfast.

"W-well," Sima stammered, "I-I guess he could've, but... but he..." Suddenly she couldn't find any reason why he might have lied. "He... he might've been telling the truth," she mumbled.

"I don't trust him at all," Aura said, sitting down at the small fire Delta had started up again. "But... maybe he did see something. And maybe he didn't. Sima?"

"I guess... I guess if he _was _telling the truth, we should, we should be more careful. If they're, uh, if they're from his time, they're gonna be pretty dangerous."

"They'll be armed with guns," Delta said. "I mean... if Leon has one, those guys will."

"Guns." Sima shivered. "Those are, those are horrible."

Aura nodded, shuddering also as she remembered what Leon had done.

"We need to start doing things today... like mining," Aura suggested. Lexi and Leon returned at that moment, bearing the body of a cow on their shoulders. They both struggled to haul the corpse over the threshold, and dropped it on the ground with a wet thud.

"Well... that, that's a big cow," Sima whispered, eyes wide and hungry.

"Should provide us with several days' worth of food. You don't... happen to know what a refrigerator is, do you?" Leon asked.

"A...re-frigg-er-ater?" Aura asked, trying to sound the word out. "No. Never heard of it."

"Then we'll have to eat quite a bit of this cow, it won't last too long," Leon said. He took one of his ration kits out and sat in the corner of the cave, eating by himself; nobody else seemed to want him, even though he had secured a good supply of food. Lexi went out of the cave and returned with an armful of ice, which got dumped on the carcass.

"Well, shall we get to mining, then? We need coal and iron, at least," Delta asked, finishing his breakfast.

"After we all eat," Aura replied, sitting down at the fire. "We'll see how to organize things."


	4. Poisonous

**A/N: Katrina: Hey guys! I'm alive, it seems! I was on camp for 14 days. 14 DAYS. Anyway, you can have your chapter, I don't get my 14 days back. So quit complaining! XD Pfft Flu, I was ****_going_**** to correct it.**

**Flu: Correcting your typing is half the fun. :D Especially since you're immaculate for the most part. ANYWAY, Exb and HPE wer-**

**Kat: *randomly busts out singing ****_Whisper_*******

**Flu: She does that a lot... *sways, entranced* DANGIT KATRINA, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WRITING AN A/N**

**Kat:*starts singing ****_My Heart is Broken_***** *sobs when YouTube fails***

**Flu: YouTube. Stop failing at Katrina. -_- It fails for me a lot now, too. I bet it's... uh... overload of Minecraft videos. ****_ANYWAY. _**

**Kat: *resumes singing* I will wander till the end of time, torn away from you...**

**Flu: *whispers* Exb and HPE weren't here for this (for once we decided not to wait for ****_them _****instead) so no A/N for them. :D **

**Kat: In other words, I pestered her to do it now.**

**Flu: Indeed. So yeah. We'd better stop rambling and publish. LET'S DO THIS THING. Yaaaaay, ten minutes of sorting things into proper paragraphs... dangit, Google Drive...**

**Kat: ?**

**Flu: Google Drive messes up the layout of paragraphs and things. Never mind. We should stop using this to talk to each other. *cough***

**Kat: Cause we don't always do that? OHOHOHOH! When are we going to record our YT vids?**

**Flu: SHHHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHSH. SHH. WE'RE NOT MENTIONING THAT HERE. I'M PUTTING THIS INTO A WORD DOCUMENT NOW. RIGHT NOW. SO YEAH.**

**Kat: Okay, have fun reading guys**

The cave home had been expanded slightly once everyone gathered enough stone to make stone tools. Armed with stone pickaxes, everyone except for Aura (who took up sentry duty) started to dig a staircase down into the earth.

"I read somewhere that this was the best way to find caves," Lexi said, chipping away at rough stone. "Dig a stairway down, and you'll probably find something."

"It's a bit... er... cramped in here, isn't it?" Sima asked nervously, sweating. Lexi stepped back and allowed Leon to open up the stairwell a little bit more.

"Mining's not supposed to be comfortable," Delta said disapprovingly. "Haven't you ever gone digging?"

"I haven't done m-much." Sima's teeth chattered, shivering. "It's... c-cold down here..."

"Yeah, the deeper you get, the colder-"

Leon never finished his sentence. As he broke the stone open beneath him, he simply disappeared. The drop wasn't far, about ten feet, but he hit the stone floor of the cavern with a loud crunch. Everyone gathered at the hole, staring down at his limp form barely visible in the darkness.

"Leon! Are you... alright?" Delta asked, stepping in front of Lexi to get a better view.

"I'm... fine, I suppose," he returned, standing up. "A bit bruised, but... HOLY-"

A zombie stepped out of the darkness and into the small pool of light that the nearest torch emitted. Before Sima could act, Leon buried his pickaxe in the zombie's shoulder, and it staggered backwards, uttering swears in its guttural voice. Leon was unable to understand, but Sima translated it almost perfectly.

"What the hell is he... trying to say?" Leon asked, struggling to tug his pick from the reanimate.

"_What the bloody hell are ya tryin' to do, ya damn maniacal fool?" _the zombie complained, its language filtered through Sima. _"You're insane, buryin' a pickaxe in me shoulder-_"

"I think he's angry," Sima joked, as the zombie continued to curse out Leon. "If you had killed him, Leon..."

"I was scared, alright?" Leon argued, wiping the blood off of the pickaxe. "Cut me some slack..."

_"What the 'ell are you all looking at? Come on down, I won't bite... unless I'm hungry, that is..._"

Slowly, after producing a set of ladders, Lexi descended down into the cavern, and one by one the heroes followed her. Delta drove a torch into the nearest wall to illuminate the gloomy emptiness.

_"I suppose yer welcome in these parts, now that you've got yerselves a Listener_," the zombie spoke, nursing its wound. _"I've still got a bone to pick with you, ya pickaxe-wielding murderer-_"

"I'm not a murderer," Leon retorted, reaching for a torch but remembering that they had run out of charcoal.

"You've, you've already killed two mobs," Sima reminded him. "If that's not murder..."

_"He's killed two of us already? Bloody hell, man, what'd we ever do to ya? Did me friends eat yer parents or somethin'? I'm sorry if that happened-"_

"He overreacted, as usual," Sima scoffed. "Pay, pay no mind to him... he's a dangerous killer-"

"I'M NOT DANGEROUS!" Leon called from farther within the cave. "Maybe a killer..."

The zombie snorted. _"Well, ye'd better be careful in there. I heard there's 'n abandoned mineshaft an' those wee cave spiders get real territorial..."_

"Great, more spiders," Leon swore. "_How perfect..._"

"We would want some milk to bring along, wouldn't we?" Delta asked, shivering in the chill of the cave. "I mean... cave spider venom is... pretty potent, isn't it?"

_"Turns anythin' alive into a quiverin' mess. Not a pretty sight."_

"Th-that doesn't sound g-good," Sima stuttered, eyes wide.

_"It ain't. One bit me last week, in fact... o' course, I'm not alive. So I weren't quiverin'... but you flesh sacks would be cryin' and beggin' for death if them flesh-eatin' fangs sank into the flesh o' yer soft flesh. Mmm... flesh... ahem, sorry 'bout that. Be on yer way, an' take care."_

"Thanks mister!" chirped Lexi. Sima said her thanks too, and Delta mumbled something along the lines of a thank you.

"Let's not waste time down here. Something doesn't feel right," Leon said, glancing around furtively in the large space. Delta and Lexi couldn't feel anything but the cold, but Sima knew he was onto something.

"S-same here... I'm getting, getting other shivers. Not the cold shivers, mind you... er... _bad _shivers."

"The willies?"

"Something like, like that. I just don't like this cave... something's not right about it."

"We'd better get everything that we need... coal, iron, the like," Delta said, already withdrawing his pick and chipping away at a vein of coal. Instead of the entire block breaking, however, a tiny chunk of black rock came out.

"We should, should be getting enough, uh, coal from just this here... imagine how much there must be down here!" Sima wondered, watching as Delta hacked harder at the stone wall, withdrawing more of the sooty rock. Eventually, the group had thirty-two chunks of coal, more than enough for their current needs.

"We could always get more," Delta suggested. "You never know how much we might need..."

"This should be enough, at least for now," Lexi said, stashing some of the black rock in her backpack.

"We need to go deeper, don't we?" Leon asked, from deeper within the cave. The others came up to his side, and realized that they had found a ravine. Leon was standing on the edge, overlooking a massive crevasse that split the earth in half. Lava filled the bottom portions of the ravine, and water poured from small springs higher up.

"It's, it's huge," Sima breathed, standing precariously close to the drop. "Nowhere near as big as Voidmouth, though." Lexi, however, gaped at the size of the thing.

"Quite impressive. I've seen a couple of these... in pictures, of course. I was never a miner," Leon said, kicking a stone off of the edge. It flew down into one of the lava pools, disappearing into the smoldering magma with a hiss.

"It'll be hard to maneuver around here," Lexi stated, gazing around at the massive ravine. "We need stone... more of it."

"Shouldn't be too hard to get," Leon replied.

"Yeah, we can, we can make a bridge over the lava using your body," sneered Sima.

"You guys can bicker after this mining," said Delta, exasperated. Meanwhile, Lexi started to dig a staircase down into the ravine, the others close on her heels and widening it gradually. The girl didn't seem to mind mining downwards without anything protecting her from the deadly drop to her right. The others soon joined in, mining their way deeper into the ravine steadily and progressively. None of them noticed the hissing and chittering sounds coming from below...

stopped as her pickaxe broke a stone piece, revealing a wooden plank. "Wooden planks... aren't natural in ravines, are they?" she asked.

"Not if they are part of an abandoned mineshaft," said Delta. "Do you want to have a poke around? They tend to have valuable resources in chests."

"I don't know... it seems really labyrinthine in there," Leon pointed out. "We're certain to get lost... so Sima, you first!"

Sima was aghast. "N-no, I'm not going in there!" she barked, shaking her head violently. "It's dark, and there might be..."

She trailed off, her eyes wide and fearful.

"There's something right behind me, isn't there,"

"No, you're just paranoid," Leon scoffed. "Well, if no one else goes in, I will..."

Leon scrambled over the wooden planks and down into the shaft. He was barely visible in the darkness, but put up a torch almost instantly.

"These tunnels go on for quite a ways," he called up. "Anyone wanna risk it?"

"If you want, I'll go," Delta volunteered.

"I'd be glad to have you. What will the rest of you do?"

"I think that's lapis..." Lexi plopped down into the mineshaft and went to investigate.

"Don't stray too far," Leon called out to her. "Don't want you getting lo-"

The tiny cobalt spider appeared out of nowhere, dangling down from one of the supports of the tunnel and readying its fangs, eyeing the soft flesh of Delta's arm. He didn't notice it, but Leon did; the latter threw himself towards the arachnid, trying to slash at it but instead receiving two sharp, envenomed fangs into his own arm. He collided with the spider, smashing it into the stone wall and falling against one of the supports himself.

The cave spider was pinned against a wall, and in its desperation began to chew off Leon's flesh with its fangs. Leon, struggling against the body, drove it harder against the wall, breaking the flesh and one of the legs of the arachnid. He fell back, leaving the spider to drop onto the floor on its back. It struggled to get upright again, injured and confused after the collision.

"Leon!" screamed Delta, pulling out his sword. Sima cried out and grabbed his shoulder, pushing past him and managing to pick up the spider. It was about the size of a small dog. She held its head to keep its mandibles away from her arm and murmured soothingly at it as Leon struggled to his feet, groaning. Delta hurried to his side, trying to help him up.

"Leon, are you-"

"That little shit bit me! I'm gonna strangle it-"

"And, and _I'll _strangle _you _if you touch it!" Sima snapped.

"Go ahead and try!" Leon challenged, reaching out for the spider as Delta held him back. "I'll break all of its legs, repair them, and then break them again-"

"No you will _not!"_

"He'll be dead is what he will if we don't get any milk," said Lexi worriedly as she emerged from a passage with a few blue stones cradled in her arms.

Almost instantly, Leon fell against the wooden support beam, his hands clenched into fists and sweat staining his shirt.

"Goddamnit... I feel so... woozy... what's happening to me?"

"Cave spider venom," Lexi informed him, nodding sagely. "It's really not good for you. Like, really not good for you. It'll kill you soon, but we can cure it with milk."

"Kill me... soon? Like, how soon?" Leon asked, squinting and breathing heavily. "Couldn't we get some amoxicillin or triglycerol oxidate?" The others stared at him blankly.

"Amoxywha?" asked Lexi, blinking in surprise.

"Modern medicine... don't you know anything?" Leon snapped, but immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry... don't you have any, though? Can't we find some?"

"Oh, oh yes, we'll just walk over to the nearest pharmacy and buy some," Sima retorted sarcastically. "There's, there's nothing _modern _here. There's _nothing _here."

"What will _milk_ do then?" Leon asked, staggering and falling against the stone wall. The spider, now calmed, gazed from at him from Sima's arms with hungry beady eyes, clicking its pincers curiously. "Milk's not an antivenom..."

"Maybe not from where you come from, but here it works wonders," said Delta.

"I need to get some milk... I'm feeling terrible," Leon groaned. Sweat poured from every orifice, and his arm was bleeding where the spider had bitten. Much of the skin had been removed from the bite, and it bled heavily.

"Found a bucket in a chest, now for a cow..."

"You're seriously going to milk a cow? What are we, farmers?" Leon swore.

"I dunno, are we?"

"We _need _that milk," Lexi snapped, hauling Leon up to a standing position. "He's going to die if we don't get some soon-"

"Maybe, maybe it's better that he does," Sima muttered under her breath, but nevertheless she followed Lexi and Delta back up into the main ravine, as they dragged Leon back towards the main camp. As they passed the zombie back by the stairway, he commented on the injured miner's state.

"_He won't last long if ye don't get 'im some milk_," the zombie stated blandly, watching as the group shuffled past.

"Do you know where a cow is?" Lexi asked desperately.

"_Whadda I look like, a farmer? If there were a cow down here, missus, I would've probably eaten it already."_

The zombie was no help; using cobblestone, Delta extended the stairway back up to the main branch, and the four explorers began their ascent to camp, hauling a new unconscious Leon behind them.

VVVVV

Aura's long legs tapped against the edge of the cave, slightly above the tiny drop that separated the cave and valley floor. Her mind was troubled, going over her vision countless times. In her old world, visions were rare, yet in the past two days, she had received three. Two of those had come to pass. What she hated most about her visions, was that she could never know when they would come true. Or if they would. Aura had just began to try to calculate what had happened to get them captured in the dream, when voices erupted behind her.

"Get him up there, quick," Lexi scolded, hoisting the unconscious body of Leon up into the cave. Following quickly behind her were Delta and Sima, both panting and out of breath.

"You could've... slowed down a bit," Sima panted, lagging behind the other two.

"We don't have time," Lexi warned. "He's already lost consciousness... Aura!" The Endergirl rushed over, purple eyes staring down at Leon.

"What happened to him?"

"Bitten by a cave spider," Delta announced, tossing his equipment over into his corner, by his bedroll. "The venom's strong, and we need milk quick."

"How does one get milk?" Aura's question was innocent, her voice lacking sarcasm completely.

"Aura, he's going to die. You might not like him, but do you really want him dead?" Lexi asked, completely serious. "...You really don't know."

"Do _you_? Look, _you _may not like him, heck I doubt anyone does, but he's going to die if we can't find milk, and I'm the fastest."

"Are you familiar with cows?" Lexi asked, laying Leon down on his bedroll, where he began to jerk and shudder involuntarily.

Aura just stared blankly at Lexi.

"Four-legged, brownish with white spots... they _moo_," Lexi described, exasperated. "Can you find one?"

"Okay... then what?"

"Er... that's the tricky part... how do I explain this... Sima?"

"Well, uh," she began, the spider now vanished from sight and the sentry quietly at her side, "you have to, uh... milk it," she finished lamely.

"She needs _detail_, Sima," Lexi frowned.

"Uh... you explain."

"Fine, fine... take a bucket. Go _underneath _the cow. Start... pulling the dangling things, and... uh... put the milk in the bucket. Pull them _gently_. Is that good enough?"

Aura simply blinked. "Why don't I... why don't I just bring one of you with me?"

"Delta, you go. I'll stay here and... take care of him. Not like there's much I can do..."

"Alright, I'll go with her," Delta agreed, taking his gear back again. "How are we going to-"  
Aura held out her arms, grinning at Delta, whose face had just gone extremely pale.  
"I've got a bad feeling about this-"

"You'll be fine! Just, just hold on. Tightly." Sima's instructions were accompanied by a cheeky grin as though she knew what was coming.

"Alright, Aura, do your thing..." Gripping her wrists tightly, Delta squeezed his eyes shut.  
Aura's mind concentrated, but she couldn't muster the urgency to teleport. _"Prepare the execution." _The Creeper King's voice rang in the Endergirl's head, and she and Delta were gone.

VVVVV

Delta, feeling cool air rushing around his head, made the terrible mistake of opening his eyes. Yelling, he stared down at the drop beneath them, the land falling away below the small mountain ledge beneath them.

"Gods," he breathed, backing away from the drop. "Where are we?"

"A bit above the cave." Aura pointed one pale hand down, indicating a slight cut in the cliff, a few metres to their left, that could be their shelter. "Can you see any cows?"

"Shouldn't we kinda... I don't know, go _down _to the plain?" Delta suggested, breathing heavily.

"Oh, yes... right, sorry," Aura apologized. And again she teleported, down onto the smooth grass below. Delta would never get used to that feeling.

"Now, let's find some cows-"

"Do you have _any _idea what they look like?" Delta asked. The pale endergirl shrugged idly.

"No. Lexi described them, but not in great detail. My imagination went too wild."

"I'll help you, then. Just stay close to me, and be ready to... uh... teleport again."

The pair went off down the plains, running the length of the mountain range and taiga. The grasslands were like a runner dividing the tall peaks and the cold forest; here and there chickens and sheep roamed, but there was no sign of any bovine.

"What the hell am I stepping... sand?"

Delta stopped as Aura screeched to a halt, her feet kicking up the grainy golden particles. The rolling hillocks had given way to a sandy expanse that stretched for miles to the north, with distant mountains rising up over the horizon. Cacti stood, staunch and spiky, in small groups between the dunes.

"There! Down by a river!" Delta pointed out. The long stretch of azure water sliced through the sands like a knife, meandering pointlessly as it flowed. A single cow stood by a patch of grass on the river, idly chewing cud.

"So that's a cow. Well, my imagination got the best of me," Aura said, as Delta rushed down to retrieve it.

"Aura, bring the bucket, quick!"

The Endergirl rushed after Delta, who charged down the sandy slope to the river. The cow was rather ignorant, and failed to notice the two running straight at it. Delta snatched the iron bucket from Aura's hands and plunged underneath the cow. What happened down there remained out of sight.

"That looks quite... painful," she commented, standing behind a tall cactus as Delta milked the cow.

"It's how it's done," he called from beneath the bovine, who had now begun to squirm and resist. "We just need... a bucket's worth..."

After another few precious seconds, Delta returned from underneath the cow, holding a bucket slopping with white milk.

"They don't make it easy, do they?" Aura asked, stepping out from behind the cactus.

"Milking's never an easy or fun job," Delta replied, his brow wet with sweat and a small gash on his cheek bleeding. "Aura-"

Before he could say anymore, he was cut off. Aura spun around, turning to face an Enderman and two Sliders standing behind them.

"Hello there. You're certainly peculiar creatures."

The Enderman's voice was crisp and dry, like the crackling of autumn leaves.

"Aura... get back to the camp..."

"We're not going so soon, are we? That would be quite rude..."

"AURA, GO!" Delta shouted. An instant after the Endergirl teleported, the Enderman teleported after her, leaving Delta to fight the two Sliders.

He slowly drew his pickaxe, eyeing the Sliders warily. The two cubes made threatening grinding noises, advancing slowly. Delta glanced at his pick, and realised it was rusty and battered from previous minings. And fighting Quadratus. He needed at least three more stone pickaxes to fight all the Sliders before him.

_Perhaps I can make a stone pick? I can sense stones under me,_ he thought. But then, Notch's warning of the powers came back to him. The monsters would know where he was the instant he started to activate his powers. But then what? How would he smash the cubes to pieces with one very worn stone pickaxe? Even if he did geokinate for more pickaxes, there wouldn't be time to craft them before the Sliders closed in...

Then he reminded himself that earth wasn't the only option left. There was a river right next to him. The cow had run off, hoof prints leading out towards the taiga that bordered the river; the water down farther east was frozen over, as it led back towards the hill Delta had arrived at.

"Guess I can't go legit forever," he muttered. "Sorry, Notch." He pocketed his pick, earning suspicious glances from his opponents. He extended his arm and a great torrent of water rose from the river. He then realised this was the first time he had hydrokinated in his life.  
The Sliders lurched backwards in alarm, their eyes filled with fear and dread. Sensing their surprise, Delta grinned. "Yeah, this is how it's done in the Neptune way." And he swiped his arm forward.

The water shot towards the two Sliders, smashing into them with the force of a boulder. They were thrown backwards by it and, plan in mind, Delta quickly halted the flow of the water and made it wrap itself around them with a gesture. The Sliders squirmed in alarm, trying to free themselves from the water's grasp. Not giving them a chance to recover, Delta smashed them straight onto the sandy surface as hard as he could. The monsters let out a horrible wail as fractures formed on their faces.

"Sorry about this, Sima," he mumbled, and forced the water to dig its way into the cracks as he lifted the cubes up again. Before the Sliders could finish complaining about their waterlogged bodies, Delta clenched his fist, freezing all the moisture around him. The sound of stone cracking open rang out clearly as the liquid solidified into larger chunks of ice inside the cramped space, widening it. If the Sliders had human voices, they would have screamed their eyes off.

"Bear with me for a while, will you? Learn a healthy bit of science for a change," called Delta from below. He unclenched his fist, melting the ice back to water. He withdrew his arm slightly, but quickly jabbed forward again, forcing a lot more liquid inside. The Sliders now screeched in a high pitch as the water froze and expanded the wounds. They seemed to have enough of freeze-thaw actions.

"Okay, okay, I'll finish you off real quick. No more pain," reassured Delta. It was all great until the water released them.

The Sliders, free of restraints but full of nasty cracks, glared murderously at Delta, their blue eyes full of rage.

"Uh-oh," Delta muttered.

The Sliders started to charge as fast as their weathered body would allow. Instinctively, Delta brought his hand up, creating a hasty earth barrier. One Slider skidded to a halt just in time, but the other one wasn't so lucky: It rammed full force on the wall, and shattered into big stone chunks.

Its teammate roared in fury and lunged as well. Delta simply slammed his foot on the sand, launching the Slider up to the air. It promptly smashed on impact with the ground.

"So that's done," he said to himself. "Gods, Sima will kill me."

VVVVV

Aura emerged in a mineshaft with a soft _zzt, _the bucket of milk held tight in her hands. Looking around, she didn't recognise her surroundings; a torch burned on one of the tunnel's wooden supports, but the area didn't look anything like the place in the ravine she had left. Her gaze flicked up and down the passage until she picked a direction and-  
_Zzt._

She whipped around to see the enderman leaning nonchalantly against the wall of the mineshaft.

"Hello there," it said amiably, odd voice not entirely unpleasant. "Why did you run, exactly? I don't mean any harm."

Aura's cheeks burned, a noticeable transformation to her pale face. "My friends and I, we had been attacked by those stone-things before... I was scared."

The enderman looked surprised. "The Sliders have attacked you? Why would they- oh, Quadratus is being an idiot again, isn't he?" it muttered, pushing itself off the wall. "I apologise for that. He must have mistaken you for... someone else."

"Why would Quad... Why would he attack me?"

"We're in search of a few... renegades, I suppose. They pose a great threat to our mission," the enderman explained, shaking its head in exasperation.

"Mission?"

"Oh..." it trailed off, waving a hand in the air distractedly. "Never mind about that. These are very dangerous people, however. You'd do well to watch out for them."

"Do you know their names? What they look like?" Aura tried her hardest to harden her voice, desperate to not give the Enderman any clue to guess Quadratus' attack was not accidental.

"Their names... let me think," it said, examining the ceiling for a moment. "Oh, yes. One of them was... Leon Strider, I believe, and Delta854 or something... Aurora the seer, LexiLopezi the jailer... and Sima Jerdra or something, the Listener."

Breathing suddenly rapid, Aura stepped back, her hand reaching for the bow that should have been on her back, but had been left in the cave.

"Is something wrong?" the creature queried, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Wh-what are your orders upon finding these people?" Aura's voice truly was shaking now, as was much of her body.

"To kill them, of course. We can't have such dangerous people wandering around where they might hurt somebody."

"Thank you," whispered the smaller endergirl. "That's all I need." Then she teleported away, yet not fast enough. The Enderman, catching on, lunged for her, grabbing on as she disappeared.

VVVVV

Delta kicked away some remnants of the Sliders he had battled, surveying the landscape for any signs of Aura. The Enderman had followed her wherever she teleported to, so he had a bad feeling that she was in trouble. He was about to go find her when two tall figures teleported at the other side of the river. One had the coal-black skin of an Enderman, the other was complete opposite, ghostly pale. Aura.

"Aura!" called Delta.

The Endergirl's reply was high pitched, desperate "Delta! I don't have my bow!"  
The Enderman's head snapped up to look at the boy on the opposite side of the flowing water. _"Delta...?" _he didn't hear it say. _"No. Oh no." _Suddenly it let go of Aura as though she had burned it and looked frantically from her to Delta as though unsure what to do.  
Aura looked between the Enderman and Delta, then closed her eyes. "Enderdragon, help me." Then she ran, sprinting across the desert faster than any human or Minecrafter could manage. Knowing Aura was weaker, the Enderman set after her, strides even longer than hers so it caught up to her easily. _"You're the seer! I should have known! Get back here!" _  
"We're not a danger to anyone! We've never hurt but in self defence! Heck, a few of us won't even do that."

The enderman shook its head. _"I'm sorry, seer, but you're a danger to our goal. I can't let you live. That's the entire reason you were brought here in the first place."_

"Brought...?" Her confusion was enough of a chance; the Enderman lunged for her, long fingers reaching for her neck. Crying out, Aura pounded her fists upon its claws, slipping under his arms. Cursing sharply, it swiped for her again and she jumped out of its reach. Angrier than ever, he struck out, faster this time, and found a purchase on Aura's neck. Standing straight, he lifted her off the ground, ignoring her legs, which swung at his chest in a futile attempt to escape.

"Let her go!" Delta ordered, reaching out for the river. A stream of water rose from the river, shooting towards the Enderman in full-speed. The moment the cool liquid touched the coal black skin, the Enderman cried out in pain, releasing Aura and cradling his wrist as if it was burned. It stared at Delta in horror as he pulled back the water, ready to strike for the second time.

"Y-you're hydrokinetic?" it gasped disbelievingly.

"And geokinetic," added Delta. "You'll probably know who I am by now."

"How is this possible?" the Enderman wailed. "The Neptune bloodline has died out from the War!"

"Not entirely. I am Delta824, son of the late Neptune Omicron342 and the last prince of Minecraftia," said Delta, smirking at the Enderman's reaction. "If you don't remember, I'm the master of earth and water. It was a huge mistake to mess with me, Enderman." He slowly raised his hand and the water followed, swirling into a columnar vortex. But before he could launch at the Enderman, the water lost its shape and crashed back down to the sand. Seeing the chance, the Enderman backed away and broke into a run.

"Don't let it get away!" he yelled, but the Enderman was already gone, purple particles left to mark where it was standing.

"GODDAMNIT," he swore loudly, kicking at the sand furiously, causing the whole desert to shudder in response. "Now it's going to tell all the monster bosses. Endangering the whole team... perfect." He then remembered Aura has almost been choked to death. "Aura! Are you hurt?"

Aura simply stared at him. "Y-you just...the water was-"

"I should have told you about that..." sighed Delta. "My father was... king of the Overworld. The Neptunes are able to control earth and water, and I'm the last descendant of them. Notch told me to not use my powers because the monsters would then double their efforts on killing me. But... I couldn't let you suffocate by the Enderman's hands. I'll just hope the Enderman dies on the way or something... But we should really hurry. I have no idea how long it takes for the cave spider venom to kill."

Aura nodded once. "Yes, of course. Let's go." She held out her arms and Delta grabbed onto her elbows as the air around her hummed and-

_Zzt._

They were gone.

VVVVV

The villains sat or stood, their gazes fixated on the tall Enderman.

"My lord... they..."

"What excuse do you bring this time, Enderman?" Atlas growled, his deep voice booming above the pitiful whimpers on the burned and wounded monster.

"The heroes... again, they beat us-"

"How could this happen again?" the Creeper King asked, more infuriated than the first time this type of news was brought back. "We gave you the forces you requested-"

"And I did not expect so much resistance, my lord," the Enderman said as he bent the knee. "The one... he can use water to his advantage-"

The Creeper King's eyes snapped onto him, full of shock. "What is this?" he hissed. "Who is this person that uses water?"

"H-he calls himself Delta824, my king. Son of Omicron-"

The Sun Spirit turned to the Creeper King in disbelief. "I thought you killed all the Neptune bloodline, Crepitus," he said in a dangerous tone.

"I did," he hissed back. "I thought the other monsters killed his child. How would I have known it in that mass of confusion?"

"Crepitus, Atlas," the Blaze Lord cut in. "We have no time to blame each other. The fact that a prince survived is a great threat to our mission. I voice my thought of hunting this boy down."

"I agree as well," the Sun Spirit boomed. "Crepitus, I take that you won't oppose to this?"

"Why would I?" the Creeper King asked, a cruel light in his eyes. "I want nothing more than to see the boy ripped to shreds before me. I shall give full support in this."

"It sounds like he's a great threat to us," Mina Wycokrwyz observed.

"What is it we know of the heroes? What are their weaknesses and strengths?" the Brotherhood Leader asked.

"We don't know much of anything," Cicuta admitted, rustling his wings.

"I say we observe them. Take it slowly," reasoned Wycokrwyz, gesturing lazily. "We can't rush things. If we send spies after them, we can learn things about them we never would have known otherwise."

Atlas nodded slowly, Crepitus and the Blaze Lord catching on shortly after him. The Enderman, listening silently until now, spoke up.

"How will you keep the spies hidden? The seer has the senses of an enderman."

"And Leon will be overly cautious," remarked Wycokrwyz.

"We'll think of a way," the Brotherhood Leader said. "We just need to... lay off for a little while, perhaps. Get them to let down their guard. When they're defenseless... we'll strike."

"My kings," another Enderman murmured. "May I voice an idea?"

The Creeper King nodded his consent.

"Many of those 'heroes' are little more than children, gullible, especially when kindness is involved. If you sent some among our number to go to them, gain their trust..."

"Then we can strike at their heart!" the Brotherhood Leader cried.

"Perfect," smiled Wycokrwyz and the Monster Kings voiced their agreement.

"Go! Find volunteers," Atlas ordered the Endermen. "We will strike as soon as possible."


	5. Can't Trust You

**A/N: Flu: HULLO AGAIN! We're back to our lightning-fast updates. YAY. :D To answer a question an anon asked, Aurora's from KatrinaLinden's story, ****_The Diaries of Kiera. _****So go read it. It's awesome.**

**HPE24: Oh yes. I definitely won't argue with that. And also, to Eien M, I did write the parts for the previous chapter. I wasn't in the A/N. :P So that's cleared, old friend.**

**Kat: Um... DISTRACTED**

**Exb: Right. This chapter took a long time D:**

**Flu: Not really. :P You kind of wrote the majority of it in two days.**

**Kat: It took us.. 2 days? **

**HPE24: I think so. O.o**

**Exb: Well, it was ****_a lot _****of writing. Sorry I did so much D:**

**Flu: You did it well and THAT IS WHAT MATTERS. :D O'course, we all contributed, readers.**

**Exb: I feel special :DDDD. Anyways, enough about me!**

**HPE24: XD**

**Kat: After the fifth attempt to say something, I forgot it...**

**HPE24: WHAT NUUUUUUUU**

**Flu: Sorry. D: Just say things. This is all written down, so it works. Kind of. Sort of. Maybe.**

**Kat: I bet everyone just skips our senseless an's**

**Flu: I wouldn't be surprised. :P**

**Exb: They can skip. I don't have much to say XD. But what if we told them something important?**

**HPE24: But I'll say this. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW :DDDDDD YOUR COMMENTS FUEL OUR WRITING**

**Exb: Like that. **

**Kat: What if we say something about a massive plot giveaway and they skip it. That'd be funny**

**Exb: Hear that readers? Kat has evil plans for you. READ THE A/Ns. Hell, just skim it for interesting things :D**

**HPE24: But there are some readers out there who enjoy our commentaries, exb. Don't forget them! :D**

**Kat: Okay, maaaaaybe we should stop, before we take up an entire page.**

**Flu: Good idea. ON WITH THE CHAPTEEEER**

Leon lay twitching on the hard stone floor, the whites of his eyes grotesque and bloodshot. Every few seconds, his arm would jerk uncontrollably, and his head would shake from side to side, as if he were in some kind of horrid trance. He could say nothing; only pained grunts and pitiful mumbles escaped him.

"He's, he's not going to last much longer," Sima groaned, crouching beside her sentry with one hand on it anxiously. "God, where are Aura and Delta with that milk?"

"Give them time-"

"We, we don't _have_ time!" Sima yelled, standing up and swinging her arms about wildly. She was aware of how odd she looked, flailing her arms like a madwoman.

"A few more minutes-"

Lexi was cut off as Aura instantly arrived in the center of the cave, hauling a bucket of milk and an exhausted Delta, who was clutching Aura tightly, his knuckles white.

"There you-"

Once again, poor Lexi was interrupted as Aura rushed over to the dying man, sploshing milk all over Delta's and Sima's feet.

"Move out of the way," she hissed, nearly shoving Sima aside as she knelt down and basically hurled the bucket of milk all over Leon's face. She forced it down his throat, as his body spasmed wildly. For a second, his heartbeat stopped, his chest heaved once, his eyes were pale; and then he began to breath again, normally.

The jerking and kicking stopped. Although he was sopping wet, he was alive and well, brought back from the brink of death just in time.

"Th-There's milk, uh, on my shoes," Sima complained vaguely as she stared down at her feet, shaking small droplets of liquid off. The sentry next to her managed to shake milk off itself.

"A small price to pay," Delta muttered. "Is he alive, Aura?"

"He's breathing...I'm not sure how well he is, though. The venom's effects won't disappear instantly. He'll feel them-"

As if on cue, Leon rose up from the ground, leaned over to the side, and vomited profusely, coating the ground beside him. He was on all fours, retching endlessly-it was several seconds before he finally exhausted himself and collapsed, face-first down onto the cold ground.

"Are you feeling better, Leon?" asked Delta, concerned.

"Oh, yes, much... fucking better..." Leon cursed as he bent over to retch again, clutching his stomach tightly.

"A simple 'thank you' would suffice," Aura sneered, kicking the iron bucket aside. "Well, Delta? How are you feeling after your... er..."

Delta had not mentioned his powers yet to the group-or rather, his usage of them back at the river. He shuffled his feet nervously as Leon began to vomit again, falling over into the puddle as he retched horridly.

"It's just perfect," said Delta bitterly. "Blew my cover and put all you guys in danger."

"What do you mean?" asked Sima, confused.

"All this... business." To prove his point, Delta flicked his fingers and some tiny pebbles began to revolve in a ring.

Sima fell back, surprised. "H-how did you _do_ that?" she gasped.

Delta let the pebbles drop to the floor. "Long story, but my father was the king of the Overworld, and the lineage can control water and earth. And so can I. The monsters would know by now and try to hunt us down, or rather, the Monster Allies want to kill me."

"Well, I'll be damned," Leon chuckled from his blanket on the floor. "Look at Your Highness, juggling pebbles in the air like a Grade A fool."

"Shut up," snapped Delta, and the whole cavern shook angrily.

"Oh, go to hell, all of you," Leon retorted. "I'm just gonna fall asleep now..."

Leon fell facedown into the vomit, and failed to stir anymore.

"He could be a little more appreciative," Aura sighed, standing at the entrance to the cave.

"He's been through a lot today," Delta argued, rubbing his temples to dispel the pain lancing through his forehead. "Tomorrow, I'm sure he'll feel better."

"I find that hard to believe. I guess I'm on watch tonight?" Aura asked as Lopezi sat down in her bedroll, headset pulled up over her ears, and fell asleep.

"Yeah, I guess. I can take over-"

"No, I'll do it," Aura interrupted, shooing Delta away. "Get your rest."

Delta shrugged and clambered over to his bedroll, sinking down into the soft covers as Sima went to sleep as well.

Aura stared out at the dark night, the moon just now rising over the eastern horizon, casting an eerie glow across the plains spreading out before them. For a single second, she thought she glimpsed a small black figure watching her from afar...but when she blinked again, it was gone.

A trick of the light. _Nothing to worry about..._

VVVVV

Sima woke in the morning to the smell of sizzling beef. It wasn't a regular breakfast food, but it would have to suffice.

A small fire burned brightly in the center of the cave, dangerously close to Delta's bedroll. Both Delta and Leon stood at the fire, watching two steaks roast over the dancing flames. Delta looked tired, but otherwise in good spirits; Leon was pale and wan, his hair mussed and his cheekbones grotesquely visible.

"Morning, Sima!" Delta called cheerily, removing the steak from its spit and slicing a thick piece off. "Breakfast is ready!"

"I, I could already smell it... how, uh, how are you holding up, Leon?" Sima asked, rising and stretching. She stooped again to pat the sentry as it nudged her shin and seemed to listen to it for a moment.

"Feel like shit," he mumbled, watching the meat sizzle. "But it's better than being dead."

"Optimistic. I, I like that!" Sima laughed, tossing the covers off and standing up over the firepit. Delta sliced off a fine hunk of beef and handed it over. Although it was a bit tough, the meat was filling and had a nice crisp to it.

"Breakfast, Aura?" asked Sima, her mouth full of the stringy meat. The Endergirl, bow in hand, strode over to the fire, leaving the mouth of the cave.

"No, thanks... I'm alright," she responded, brushing away Sima's pleas that she eat to keep her strength up. "I'm not very hungry right now."

"We'll save some for you, for lunch," Delta shrugged, hastily wolfing down his portion. The events of yesterday had left him starved.

"Yeah... sure, thanks..."

They sat in silence for several moments, three of them chewing hungrily on their respective portions.

"Can I tell you guys something?"

Aura glanced around at each of her comrades, studying their expressions. She knew that by bringing up such a vague topic, she would arouse suspicions and fears. But it was difficult to avoid talking about what she may or may not have seen last night while on guard duty.

"Er... uh, sure, Aura. What's, uh, what's up?" Sima asked, as a sleepy Lopezi, headset still on, dragged herself over to the communal fire, and seized what was left of the steaks.

"It was something I saw last night-"

She was stepping into dangerous territory here. Delta had stopped eating, and was watching Aura intently. Leon took small bites out of his portion, equally suspicious.

"Well, go on, then. Don't leave us hanging," Sima urged.

"I saw something out in the taiga forests-it looked human, yes, but I couldn't be certain. Black, and hiding in some bushes... one second it was there, and then another second it was gone. Just like that," Aura snapped her fingers.

"Are you _positive _that you saw something?" Leon asked warily.

"I'm... not quite sure."

"Could've been a trick of the light?" Delta suggested.

"That's what I thought," said Aura.

"Or an Enderman? Or that guy with a gun from the taiga? Or a Heffalump?" Lopezi mumbled to herself. "Heffalumps and Woozles... they're black, they're brown, they're up, they're down, they're all about, they're far, they're near, they're gone, they're here, they're quick, they're slick, they're insincere, beware, beware, beware..."

There was a moment of silence as Lopezi rambled on and finally became silent, her eyes fixated on the dancing flames.

"Are you sure you saw-"

"No, I'm not sure! Just... forget about it!" Aura shouted, throwing her hands up in disgust. She left the entire room, stepping out into the fresh air and disappearing from sight. Sima, wounded, had no words for the situation.

"She... d-didn't have to yell," she finally whispered, shaking slightly.

"She'll get over it soon enough. You guys said the same thing about me," Leon reminded them, finishing off his breakfast.

"Perhaps it would be more comforting to her if you went out and took a look around? Delta suggested. "You're in no great shape, though..."

"I'll be fine. It's nothing I can't manage," Leon grunted, standing up and wavering momentarily. "If it would settle everyone..."

Leon grabbed some of his gear and left the other three to the cave, savoring the fresh breeze, however chilly it was. The mountains rose high above him, slate and shale piercing the sky and hidden in clouds. The taiga spread out before him, and in the distance, to the east, the lazy river ran its due course.

Aura was already walking down the path leading down to the flatlands, bowstring taut and a quiver of arrows strapped to her back.

"Coming along, are we?" Aura asked as Leon barely matched her pace, following beside her.

"You could use some help, perhaps," he struggled, wincing as each step made him nauseous. Perhaps it would have been a better idea to stay in the cave...

But they were down on the grassy plains now. A cool breeze rustled through the weeds and grass, chilling Leon. The wind blew from the mountaintops and out of the snowy forest, stirring the grasses in the meadow. The desert, far to the east, seemed to expand forever into the distance, with jagged peaks looming on the horizon.

"I saw him in the woods, just a few feet inside," Aura mentioned, striding briskly over to the biome's border. The snow and the grass met in a distinct line; a few feet of frosted grass marked a barrier between the temperate zone and the cold zone. The temperature difference was quite extreme.

"Perhaps he-or it-left footprints?" Leon asked, trying to catch up to the Endergirl.

"I see a few... and some broken foliage. Someone was definitely here," Aura replied, bending over to analyze the tracks. Leon saw them as well, and they struck him as familiar; large and deeply entrenched in the crusty layer of snow. Whoever had made the prints had been wearing something heavy.

"Almost looks like they were wearing boots," he mused.

"How do you know?"

"Look at the shape and depth of the track... a regular shoe or sandal wouldn't do that. Had to be a boot, and a heavy one."

It wasn't much to work off of, but it aroused Leon's suspicions. Soldiers wore boots... enemy soldiers...

"I'll keep an eye on the forest when I'm on duty," Aura declared. "There's no sense worrying about it now."

"Yeah... of course," Leon admitted, still squatting on the ground over the footprints. They were less than two feet inside of the forest, hidden beneath some bushes. The bushes had been moved and pushed aside during the night; that much was evident.

Aura was already leaving, striding back to the cave dug high into the mountainside. Leon decided it was pointless to stay out any longer; taking one last long look at the tracks, he gave up and followed her back home.

VVVVV

"I'm not going back down there-if that shit happens again..."

"Don't go then," Aura sneered, shouldering her bow and a stone pickaxe. "You can hold sentry duty."

"I'd be pleased to," Leon replied. "I won't go back into that mineshaft-"

"And we're not making you," Delta teased, taking his own pickaxe and heaving it over his shoulder. "Just keep an eye on the place, will you?"

"_Trust me_, I won't let anything get up those stairs," Leon called back, staring out into the night. He didn't even bother to turn around as the other four geared up to go back into the ravine/mineshaft.

"And, a-and try not to shoot any mobs!" Sima called as she was hauled down the stairwell by an irritated Aura. The sentry hopped placidly down after them.

"_Oh heavens no, I wouldn't do that_," Leon mocked, shaking his head and muttering gruffly. He disappeared out of sight and then out of hearing; the four proceeded, in single-file, down the poorly-lit stairwell.

"I, I hope he doesn't kill anything, uh, else..."

"Don't worry about it, Sima," Delta reassured her. "Leon may not be very friendly, but he's in no shape to go out of his way to kill something. Unless it comes to him, he'll leave it alone."

The foursome found their way down into the main cave, which had been lit up ever since they had first entered. The zombie that they had found earlier was still idly wandering the open corridors, shying away from the torchlight.

"_How's yer mate, fair lass?_" the zombie asked as Lopezi, wielding a torch and a stone spear, clambered down the ladder and into the cavern.

"He's doing better, thanks!"

"_I'm surprised the lad even survived. Not many survive a spider bite_."

"He was lucky," Aura said as she followed Lopezi down. Delta and Sima held up the rear, struggling down the wooden ladder. The sentry just dropped after them once the way was clear.

"_You all plan ta go back, do ye?_" the zombie queried, one of his eyes now missing. "_Damn, me eye's missing. Not again..._"

"We, uh, we do plan to go back. Any uh, advice?" Sima asked, making friendly conversation as the others passed by.

"_Stay away from them damned cave spiders. And if you see an eyeball on the floor, bring it back. It migh' be mine_."

The zombie, shying away from the light still, bid farewell to Sima and the others, and soon they were descending down the ravine's sheer side once more, down to the mineshaft.

By the time they had reached the mineshaft, Sima had forgotten all about the zombie. The ravine had its own splendor to it, its own beauty, that made you forget everything else. She hardly realized that they had reached the abandoned rail tracks, and the wooden support beams that were now rotting away, slowly, consumed by time.

"Think we should be more careful this time?" Delta asked, unsheathing his sword nervously. "Sima? Can you... speak with them?"

"Uh... yeah, I guess," she said uncertainly, clutching the pickaxe in her hand tighter. "I mean, they, they weren't _too _hard to talk to before... we just, we just surprised them. Spiders are like, like little kids; you've just, well, just got to be nice to them."

"I'll take your word for it," said Delta, with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Easy to say, harder to do," Lexi said, glancing around nervously. "If cave spiders were kids, they're the ones with ADHD, and hyped up on sugar." She glanced behind her, drawing her sword.

"Easy does it," Delta warned. "We don't want ourselves getting into another quagmire like yesterday."

"I'll, I'll talk to them if I, uh, need to," Sima reassured them. "They're really nice once you get to know them," she smiled.

"Tell that to Leon," Aura smirked, following behind Delta and taking up the rear.

"Ha, yeah..."

The four descended deeper into the mines. The tunnels were relatively linear, branching out in numerous directions. Here and there staircases led them deeper into the earth, down closer to the bottom of the world. Down here it was warmer, instead of growing colder; the deeper they walked, the further the temperature rose.

"How close do you think we are to bedrock, if there even is a bedrock layer here?" Delta asked, tapping the butt of his sword.

"I, I dunno," Sima replied. "It's getting hotter."

"Thanks for the tip, Captain Obvious," Aura sneered.

"You're, you're welcome, Lieutenant Sarcasm," came the retort. But both fell silent as they went deeper; the heat was enough to make all of them sweat profusely, and it felt like a blisteringly hot summer day by the time they finally saw a pool of lava.

"We're pretty deep," Lopezi announced, standing on a cliff edge and looking down at the boiling magma. "Ooooh... pretty..."

"Stand back, Lopezi," Delta warned, pulling the girl back by the arm. "You don't want to fall in, do you?"

"It is quite pretty..."

"So, what are we looking for all the way down here?" Aura asked. Delta had been entrusted with the iron pickaxe, the only tool that could part diamond from stone.

"Diamonds, perhaps. I could use my powers-"

"No, no more of those," Sima warned. "We don't, uh, we don't need to call unwanted attention to us, I don't think," she tittered nervously. "Not after yesterday."

Lexi scanned the walls. "Stone... coal... iron... redstone, that's rubbish..."

"We could use some of it," Sima suggested. "I mean... just a little?"

"Only a little," Delta replied, swinging his pick to and fro. "Our real goal is diamonds, if at all possible."

"Hey look, shinies." Lexi pointed at something across the sea of lava. The burning. Boiling. Guaranteed to melt the flesh off your bones sea of lava.

"Well, look at that... diamonds," Delta mused, his eyes shining brightly. "If only we could use... the powers..."

"_No_," Sima warned again, harshly this time. "Delta, we... we, uh, can't risk it. You, you know that."

"I know. So, who volunteers to build an unstable bridge across a lake of boiling magma?"

Silence.

"Dibs! Wait, what're we talking about?"

"Oh, sunshine and cookies, Lexi," Aura answered, sarcastic as usual.

"Nah, just kidding. Sorta." Lexi grabbed some cobble from her backpack and started making something resembling a bridge.

"Take, uh, take care out there, Lexi!" Sima called as something emerged from the darkness behind them. It apparently wasn't interested in ambushing the small group, for it nudged Sima's leg gently to make its presence known. She jumped, nearly leaping into Delta, but it only turned out to be a small cave spider, its benign eyes poring over Sima.

"Oh... h-hello there!" Sima called, and the cave spider approached her cautiously. "Can I, uh, help you?"

The spider clicked and chittered briefly before withdrawing again, back into the shadows. Sima seemed confused.

"What did it say?" Delta asked, as Lexi nearly stumbled off of her bridge.

"It, it wants me to go with it... says, says there's something in the mineshaft I need to see," Sima whispered nervously.

"Can you... trust it?" Aura asked, just as apprehensive.

"I d-don't know... it _really _wants me to follow."

Sima began to edge nervously away from the group, as the spider, clicking excitedly, began to skitter away down one of the abandoned tunnels, into a thick layer of black, brackish fog. The sentry followed, creaking as though in doubt.

"Sima, where are you-"

"I have to follow it," she called back monotonically, as if in a trance. She and the sentry disappeared into the fog as well, following the tiny blue arachnid into the darkness.

"Gods, if she gets herself killed..."

Delta sighed, then stepped onto the thin, unstable bridge that Lexi had been making. She was almost to the end of it, affixing some more cobblestone to the wall to hold it steady. The precarious drop into lava was frightening; Delta kept his head straight and looked forward as he crossed to the other side.

"I think we're safe," Lexi announced as Delta reached the other side, pickaxe in hand. "Shinies are down there."

She pointed down to the diamonds embedded into the wall. As Delta began to cut through the stone to get to them, the bridge began to creak and crack in certain places.

"Step back, Lexi, get off of the bridge-"

But it was too late to get back to the other side. Lexi stepped off in time, but the walkway, unsupported, broke at both ends and collapsed into the lava. The molten liquid absorbed the stone instantaneously, and their one easy connection to the other side had vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Well, that... that could be a problem," Lexi mused, wringing her hands anxiously.

"We can build another bridge if we need to. I need to get those diamonds, though," Delta snapped, hacking furiously away at the stone around him to expose the bright, translucent gems. They outshone even the glow of the lava, precious stones that could make tools more powerful than anything on earth.

Delta broke the stone open and, to his delight, found several more diamonds buried deeper. Taking precautions around the magma, he extracted five diamonds before the vein was dry.

"Five... should be enough, right?" Delta asked Lexi, who was still standing where the bridge had fallen.

"I guess so."

On the other side, Aura was torn between staying where she was and going out after Sima. She wrung her hands as well, looking back and forth between the two miners stranded on the others side of the lava lake, and the linear tunnel where the young Listener had disappeared.

"I'm... going to... go and try to find Sima," she stammered nervously. "Good... luck..."

Without another word, Aura dashed off into the dark, leaving Lexi and Delta stranded on the other side.

VVVVV

Sima was out of breath, panting as she ran after the spider. The tiny creature beckoned her onwards, chattering inanely as it ran much faster than her. By the time they reached the ravine she was exhausted, though the sentry was nothing but apprehensive.

The mineshaft opened up into the massive ravine, right at the bottom. Pools of water and magma mingled and formed barriers to each other, coming from springs high up in the fissure walls. The spider stood before her, ten feet away, right next to what looked like a skeleton of sorts.

Not like Sarah, though. It wore some kind of mysterious armor, and it was certainly never going to get up and walk again. Beside it was an old piece of parchment-old, yes, battered and rotting from the effects of time, but as Sima examined it she realised it was still legible. The sentry protested more loudly as though it had noticed something she hadn't. "Sima, look, there is... it is not safe, there are..."

She was so intrigued by the contents of that parchment that she barely noticed the other spiders gathering behind her, clicking their pincers eagerly...

VVVVV

Leon leaned against the wall at an odd angle, slumping against the hard stone. There was no real comfortable position here; he would just have to find a way to stand against the stone and hope for the best.

As he attempted to adjust himself, something out in the taiga caught his eye.

A flickering black shape, nothing more, moving silently through the brush.

It was there one moment, and then it was gone.

Curiosity got the better of him; the shape had disappeared, but Leon had had enough of vanishing apparitions for one day.

He left the safety of the cave, and ventured out after it. Whatever the shape might be, he would find it.

If he wound up dead, however, terminal stupidity was really the least of his problems.

VVVVV

Aura walked swiftly through the darkness, barely taking note of where she was going. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the shadows; Endermen could see almost as well in the dark as in light. Her mind drifted far from the caverns, fearful thoughts tumbling through her mind. She had not had much of a chance to think about it, whilst the others had been mining; she had simply refused to think on it. Now her terrors mixed with the words of the Enderman, creating a hurricane of horror and fear.

Aura stopped. Breathing deeply, she drew all the courage she could. She didn't trust cave spiders. They may be like children, as Sima said, but they were poisonous, and not just in body. Her conclusion was confirmed by a deathly scream.

"Sima!" Aura leaped to her feet, sprinting towards the sound like a gale. The stone swept past her like water, so fast did her legs carry her.

She was so concentrated on the rescue that Aura barely saw the wall looming ahead of her. Skidding to a halt, she glared at it.

"N...no!" Sima's despairing voice sounded from behind the barrier. Aura focused, but she could not draw the power to teleport. Cursing her mediocrity, she reached to the stone. Long fingers grasped at invisible gaps. Grinning, she picked up a cube of rock, placing it behind her. Three more, and she ran through, staring at the scene before her. A wooden platform spread out before her, hanging over a deadly fall, a massive ravine flooded with lava, much like the one Delta and Lexi had gone into. Sima stood by the edge of the platform, staring in horror at flickering movement further into the shaft. The clicking and scuttling of spiders resounded in her ears.

"A-A-Aura!" screamed the frightened human, her eyes barely leaving the shadowed passage.  
Notching an arrow, the Endergirl stepped forward, blinking still at the light. Spinning around, she barely held back a scream herself. Over 15 blue spiders stood before her, mandibles raised, venom dripping from their fangs.

"Sima," she whispered, barely heard in an attempt to not alert the spiders, "run."

Not even looking to see Sima pick a piece of paper, Aura tensed her arm. Pulling back the string, she barely bothered aiming; it was near impossible to miss this small army.

The arrow was aimed perfectly anyway, as one of the front arachnids screamed in horror, legs curling around the shaft planted in the centre of its thorax. Screeching, its fellows surged forward, flowing towards the one girl, totally forgetting the other. Arrows flew constantly, but Aura could only move so fast. They gained quickly, and Aura felt the impulse to teleport away.

"No," she swore, not daring to leave them alive at the risk they followed Sima. Ignoring her remaining arrows, she wielded her bow like a staff, hitting back the creatures whenever they came close. Fatal blows lessened dramatically, and it was not long before one swift spider got close enough to sink its fangs into the Endergirl's ankle. Screaming, she whacked it back as hard as she could. Pain ripped through her leg, but not as much as she'd feared; she could still move, and her thoughts were clear, although she was distracted slightly. Enough that the arachnids managed to push her back even more, enough that she stumbled, unable to find solid ground to stand on. Barely realising it, she began to fall back, nothing but lava below her. Thin legs, like sticks, pushed into her back, steadying her. Hissing erupted from directly above her as another cave spider leapt onto the army, yelling out.  
"Back off! Go on, go away! Don't make me hurt you! Since when do you attack mobs, stupids?" Its voice was that of authority. The majority of the spiders cowered and retreated; the few that did not move were tossed aside by forceful legs. Soon the army had all but run away, leaving the one spider. Grateful as she was, Aura stared suspiciously towards the critter, heart racing. A twang of pain raced up her calf, and she cried out, bending down to inspect the bite. Two red marks were obvious on her pale skin, bleeding freely. Watching her, the spider scuttled closer, though not within reach.

"Ouch," it hissed in sympathy, inspecting the bite.

Forgetting her suspicion of the creature, Aura asked, "Why am I not sick? My friend was bitten and he nearly died."

"All people get 'fected different. 'Specially different kinds of mob. What's your friend?"  
Ignoring his speech, which was marred by occasional hissing, she explained he was human.  
"'Umans get the sickest. Our venom was made for 'em, really."

Suddenly remembering Sima, Aura stood, trying to edge around the spider to the tunnel.  
"Where're you goin'? I save your life and you're just gonna go running off?"  
"I'm sorry, sir, but I have to go find my friends."

The spider attempted a scoff, which was odd with his voice. "'Sir'? Say what you want, I'm coming with you. I bet you'll need me anyways."

Sighing, Aura nodded. "But I'm leading. I don't trust the fact you led Sima to that army."

The spider nodded, and Aura ran off, followed closely by the critter.

They caught up to Sima quickly; she was stumbling along, right arm swiping the wall.

"A-Aura?" Her eyes were open, but she stared blankly in the general direction of the Endergirl.

"Oh, great, forgot you wouldn't be able to see. Here." Holding out her hand, she lead Sima through the caverns, finally reaching the ravine where she had left the others, cave spider following silently.

VVVVV

Lexi grabbed more cobblestone out of her pack and started rebuilding the bridge. Tedious, but it was either that or alerting the Monster Bosses. Or dying in lava screaming. Actually, would there be time to scream?

She shook her head and went back to bridge-building, and plopped down on the other side.

"So that's done," said Delta. "Now to find Sima and Aura."

VVVVV

Leon watched his step as he tramped through brush and foliage, squeezing through two massive trees as he followed the tracks through the snow.

The footsteps had been heavy-boots, by the looks of it. They were set deep in the crusty layer of snow.

And then, they abruptly stopped.

The tracks just ended at the base of a tree. They didn't double back on themselves, they didn't continue or loop around. Simply ended. A cold finish.

Leon should've known what had happened; but he had no time to consider the possibility of someone hiding up in the tree.

With no sound but the rustling of fir needles, the man dropped down from above and crushed Leon beneath him. The impact with the ground knocked the breath out of Leon, as his attacker fell on top of him, six inches of gleaming steel raised above his head. The man wore a balaclava and army-style helmet, complete with snow goggles and a military scarf. He was dressed for the cold, quite well; Leon wore nothing but his regular clothes, and the cold climate of the taiga had no mercy for him.

Leon reached up and grabbed the man's arm as the knife came down, and the blade stopped mere inches from his neck. He wrestled furiously with the armed attacker, trying to throw his weight off and regain his footing. Using the little leverage Leon had, he bucked his hips upward and slammed his attacker against the fir tree, rising up with him.

But his opponent was quick to think; he slipped to the side and grabbed Leon in a bear hug, sending both of them sprawling to the ground, wrestling brutally in the snow. Leon felt the man's knuckles connect with his groin, and felt white-hot flashes of pain sear through his body, but adrenaline rush kept him going. He took the man's leg out and threw him to the ground, and grabbed his wrist immediately afterwards.

A single flick of his own wrist, and the other man's was broken; the knife scattered from his hand as he threw a booted foot upward, hitting Leon square in the crotch and knocking him back against the tree. Leon saw stars, his vision blurred and watery; the injured man, bleeding from a large gash on his leg, reached for the knife, but Leon leapt down upon his back and lunged out for the blade instead.

The latter had the advantage; fighting the pain between his legs, he drew the knife, held his exhausted and breathless opponent down, and drove the knife cleanly into his throat. He held it there for a few seconds before falling aside and collapsing into the snow, breathing deeply and feeling a warm liquid trickle down the soldier's body and stain the snow beneath him.

VVVVV

Aura and Sima climbed the steps from the mine and finally emerged into the cave, the sentry and cave spider close behind. The tall Endergirl straightened up and stretched in the higher-ceilinged cave as Sima coaxed her mob-friends into the light, looking around to see Delta and Lexi already there. "You are back already?" Aura asked, surprised.

"Yeah," replied Delta. "The same thing I wanted to ask you guys."

"We just returned. We though you were still down there, figuring out how to make a bridge," Aura replied.

"I know how! I'm just a bit...slow," Lexi fumed and jerked her thumb at the empty space behind her. "I like to make it nice. Blame OCD."

"Yeah, right, it's just an excuse-"

"Leave it be, Aura," Delta sighed, exasperated. "We just-wait. Where did Leon go?"

All four of them suddenly realized that their guard sentry, not the small cube, was nowhere to be found.

"Where..._did _he go?" Aura asked, just as bemused as the rest of them. They all looked around the small cave; he wasn't hiding, affixed to the ceiling, or sunk into the rock. He had simply vanished.

"Did he run out?" Delta asked, staring out of the cave entrance. Night had fallen a long time ago; the moon was high in the sky, and a couple of creepers were strolling out on the green meadows.

"Creepers... want, want me to go ask them?" Sima suggested, pointing down at the four-legged monsters prowling the plains.

"What would they know? They're just creepers," Aura sighed. "They could tell you a thousand different explosive recipes, and that's about it."

"Explosive recipes! Can I go? Please?" Lexi perked up.

"I'm, I'm going down and taking a look anyway. Delta?" Sima asked, waving to the young man and beckoning him forth.

Delta thought for a moment. "It would be a lot quicker if I can track him down," he suggested.

"Are you sure about that, Delta?" Lexi asked, her eyes darkening suddenly. "I mean..."

"It will be fine," he reassured. "The monsters don't have any invisible tags on me to monitor my powers. If not, I would be dead by now."

"But how are you going to do it?" asked Aura.

"I never tried before, but I can probably sense movements with ground tremors. It's all related to the earth stuff anyway."

"Well, uh, do it then," Sima said. "But... be careful."

"I will." He pressed his hand on the stone floor, concentrating hard on picking up any movements around him. Few seconds had passed when he perked up, looking straight outside the cave. "It's faint, but I did sense something by the forest. Most likely Leon."

"Well, let's go see what trouble he got himself into now," Aura sighed, exasperated.

"I, I bet he's killed something," growled Sima, seething at the thought of it. "You guys coming?" she added, turning to the sentry and cave spider. With a creak and schee-oo respectively, they agreed.

The four descended from the mountain followed by their companions. They followed Delta, who led the way into the taiga.

"He's close... I can just barely feel him," Delta murmured, focused on finding Leon. And indeed, they found him.

Next to him lay the broken, bloody body of a man dressed in heavy armor, a balaclava and reconnaissance helmet, scarlet blood bubbling up from his throat. Leon, obviously shocked and confused, was struggling to sit up, his eyes wide and unfocused and his forehead bleeding.

"L-Leon... what, what have you _done_?" Sima cried out, her eyes panicked and horrified.

"Looks like he killed someone." Lexi was already looting the dead guy, Aura was watching suspiciously, and Delta had no words.

"You killed a man," Delta whispered, glazed eyes focused on the body.

"I... I what? I... right, yes, I killed him-"

Leon stuttered vaguely, rubbing his eyes and grunting as he sat up, his back caked with snow and soaked with blood. His cheeks were red, blood streaming down from a large gash on his forehead.

Sima leaned against a tree and retched into a bush, clutching her stomach tightly. Aura shook her head in disgust.

"You sick bastard," she spat, leaning over to help Sima stand up straight.

"Would he kill any random guy without a reason? Maybe Mr Dead Dude attacked him. Look, he's wearing black armor or something. Might be the figure-Heffalump-Woozle-Enderman," Lexi suggested.

"Are you actually supporting him, Lexi?" Aura asked. "He's already killed two mobs, and now he's gone and cut a man's throat. I don't trust him anymore."

"Why don'tcha ask him?"

"I have no words for him right now. Come on, let's get Sima back to the cave. Leon can come crawling back when he finds his words."

Aura, scowling, supported a tearful Sima and began to stalk back to the cave.

"Leon. Please tell me this was an accident," Delta asked sadly as the others disappeared.

"He fell onto me... out of the tree, I remember," Leon said slowly, wiping a massive streak of blood off of his forehead.

"He attacked you, then?"

"He did... he had a knife. I saw him earlier, lurking, and... and I followed his footprints. And then... he just jumped me..."

Leon was in a horrible state; his glazed eyes met Delta's, as blood flowed into them.

"You're bleeding pretty badly," Delta noticed.

"Yeah... he must've sliced me... sometime..."

Without another word, Delta hefted the man onto his shoulder and struggled to carry him back to the cave as snow, soft and silent, began to drift down from the sky.


	6. Followed by Shadows

**A/N: Flu: Hello, my loverlies! Or our loverlies… NO. YOU'RE MINE. ALL MINE. MWAHAHAHAHA *cough* *hack* *choke* Exb is online as I'm writing this, but we decided against writing a join A/N because laziness. Everyone else is asleep or offline or at school or whatever. I'm aaaaaall alooooone. *sniff* Anyway, this chapter is absolutely freaking amazing and epic and I love it. I'm allowed to say that because I wrote almost none of it. :D The ending makes me sad, however. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS MY CO-AUTHORS ARGH ;A;**

**So yes. ENJOY, mon amis! :D**

"The bleeding ought to stop soon," Delta pondered, dabbing Leon's scarlet forehead with a makeshift cloth. "It doesn't look too serious. You just... lost a lot of blood out there."

"I feel like... I don't even know..."

"Don't strain yourself," Delta hissed, forcing him back the ground when he tried to rise. "You need rest. First bitten by a cave spider, then slashed with a knife... take care, try to sleep."

Delta allowed Leon to fall down onto his bedroll before returning to the fire that the others had gathered around. Lexi was handling one of their diamonds, staring at it curiously, examining the shiny gem's surface.

"Well, uh, how is he doing?" Sima asked, wringing her hands nervously as a fat steak sizzled on the spit.

"He'll live," Delta replied. "But he needs a few days of rest. He almost died when he was bitten, and now he's lost quite a bit of blood."

"Too bad," muttered Aura, sounding quite a lot like she didn't care. The right leg of her black pants was pulled up past the ankle, and she was gently poking two red specks near her ankle. Concern filled her mind as she inspected the slightly green skin surrounding the bite.

"Now, now, Aura, don't be so careless," Delta chastised. "What would you do if Leon died, hmm?"

"Very little, I'd think."

"He might have just saved our lives by going out there. That might have been the figure stalking us," Delta suggested.

"Yes, he saved us for now. But how long are we going to last, really?"

"We found diamonds and iron, plus some gold. That's one step in the right direction," Delta said.

"_They _won't give up until they find us." Aura's voice was filled with certainty, as if she somehow knew.

"And this one had a rifle," Lexi pointed out. She motioned to the massive sniper rifle sitting idle in the corner, unloaded and discarded. The dead man had been carrying it when he and Leon fought. "He could've sniped us." She conveniently forgot to mention the pistol, they probably wouldn't let her keep it if they knew it was in her backpack. In her defense, she couldn't use the rocket launcher. 5eth said he was going to teach her, but got sidetracked with one of his "experiments".

"And Atlas and the Blaze thing-"

Delta cut Aura off. "How do you know about Flammus?"

Aura ducked her head and returned to poking at her wound, accepting a bandage from the hovering cave spider.

"Aura has a, has a point," Sima pointed out glumly. "This is the, uh, the third attack in just a few days. How long will they, uh, will this keep up?"

"We've had big cubes, Endermen, and firearm-armed bad guys," Lexi added. "At least we've got variety."

Delta stayed silent, studying Aura. "I know we're not from the same world, Aura," he started slowly. "So how did you find out about the Blaze Lord? Last time I checked, I didn't mention him to you guys."

Aura looked at Sima desperately. She hadn't wanted to reveal her power, her freakishness.

Sima nodded encouragingly. "G-go on."

Drawing a deep breath, the Endergirl closed her eyes and told them everything. How she was a seer, how she had random visions and dreams of the future. And then, reluctantly, she told them of her last dream, the one that could seal their fate.

"Aura... w-w-why didn't you tell, tell any of us this?" Sima cried, her voice breaking up. "_WHY?_"

"Listen to yourself and answer," Aura replied, voice quiet.

"I... I c-can't think why you didn't, didn't just tell us. I'm so... t-taken aback, I'm sorry."

"Because there was never any time! Because you would have reacted exactly as you did!" Ignoring the tears in her eyes, Aura stood and stormed out of the cave, grabbing her bow as she went. On the way out, she accidentally stepped on Leon's hand, and he grunted in pain as she trampled over him.

"I'm not a goddamn floor mat... have some pity, please," Leon growled as Aura stormed out, trying to hold back her tears.

"No!" she hissed, not looking back.

"Why don't you wipe your damn shoes on the way out, too," Leon grumbled, but Aura was already gone. Sima, her legs shaking violently, rose and started out.

"I, I'll go get her," she muttered, looking like she was about to cry as well. Lexi was the only one who realized that the beef was done, and happily seized the steak. Delta was left alone to watch the fire dancing.

Hissing and squeaking caused Delta to jump like hell, and he turned to see the cave spider sprinting past him and out to Aura. On the way out, it too went over Leon, flying out of the cave as it ran.

"You'd think I'm part of the floor," the injured man spat as he tried to swipe at the spider. It was long gone by then, though; along with the other two, it had dashed out into the early dawn.

VVVVV

Sima had to sprint to catch up to Aura, her black hair flying around in the breeze. When she finally reached the Endergirl, her magenta eyes were misted with tears, and one had escaped all the way to her chin. Her shoulders shook with muted sobs, and her limbs shook.

"Aura," Sima whispered, distressed by the sight of her friend. "S-sit down."

Aura sunk to the grass-covered ground, her right leg straight, the other beneath her. "I'd do anything not to have this _gift._"

Sima nodded, imagining what it'd be like to see her fate, and shuddering. Hissing from behind her drew her attention. The cave spider had finally caught up, and it went straight for Aura's outstretched ankle, checking the wound.

"Endergirl," it sighed, "ye shouldn't be walkin' with that icky bite. You get your heart beating and the venom'll spread."

"I _know_," Aura snapped. "Why'd you come out all this way just to tell me?"

"Just... thought it'd be helpful, is all," the spider shrunk back, sounding injured, red eyes suddenly sad.

Aura sighed, eyes downcast. Breathing deeply, as though she had been drowning, she stood up. "I'm sorry. It's easy to be cruel when the world is cruel to you." Nodding its forgiveness, the spider scuttled closer and did as best a hug as it could with eight tiny legs.

"It's fine. It's all fine. I'm just tryin' to take care of ya..."

"S-so am I, Aura," Sima said, her voice still choked. "I just, just want you to understand... we're all trying to be in this together. I, I know how it must feel to be so... unique. J-just think, uh, think about me."

Sima's Listener abilities often put her at odds with most people. If anyone else knew what it was like to be alienated, she did.

"Yeah... not to change the topic or anything, but I need some milk. Seriously."

"You were... b-bitten?" Sima asked, her face screwing up once more.

Aura's hand pointed at her ankle. "Thought you could hear mobs."

"W-why isn't it as bad as Leon's?"

"Enderpeople don't get poisoned very easily. Or so spider guy says."

"Spider guy. Nice. I'm _Cave Spider, _dummy."

"Right, whatever," Aura replied. "I suppose we ought to find some more milk, then. It's not really that urgent."

"Are you, uh, okay to go back to the cave?" Aura nodded her consent.

"Alright, let's, uh, head on home, then. It's already day."

VVVVV

The three returned just a few minutes after their departure, avoiding Leon as they walked in.

"Everything turn out alright?" Delta asked, seemingly worried.

Ignoring him, Aura looked at her leg. Cave Spider was right, just a minute of walking and the green hue had already climbed halfway up her calf. It stung, too, and she sat down with a hiss of pain.

"Well, it's about damn time you knew how I felt," Leon sneered at her. "What's the matter? Does it hurt a bit? Poor, poor you..."

Aura glared at Leon, her heart beating with rage. "If you want, I can end that pain for you."

"I can give you the same deal-"

"Both of you, sh-shut up," Sima snapped. "We, uh, we need to find milk for Aura, a-and Leon needs his rest. J-just... shut up."

Lexi, who had been happily gnawing on beef, looked up momentarily before returning to her feast.

"Alright, alright... I'll keep my mouth shut," Leon agreed, turning away from them to face the other wall.

Ignoring Sima, Aura muttered "I bet you couldn't even scratch me."

"Aura, stop..." Sima warned quietly.

"Why should I? He's done nothing but antagonize us and cause problems since day one," Aura bickered. "If he hadn't gone out and attacked some guy in the woods last night..."

"It's not his fault, Aura," Delta tried to appease her. "He was attacked, ambushed-"

"How do you know he's not lying?" Aura asked, as Sima pleaded for her to stop.

"I don't-maybe he was just jumped, it seems likely-"

"Like hell he was. Probably couldn't contain his bloodlust," Aura sneered. She was about to start up again, but a click from behind her made her swivel around. Leon held his rifle, aimed at Aura, and sat up to face her.

"One more word from the Ender bitch, and I'll blow her head off," he spat, focused on Aura. The Endergirl dared not move, but stared Leon down.

"I'm not supposed to know that word," Lexi winced.

"L-Leon... please, no-"

"Why? I've been insulted and slandered endlessly. Why not put a stop to it right now?"

"Do it... I dare you," Aura sneered, not even flinching in the face of death. The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife, it was so thick; nobody was sure what would happen next, until the entire cave shook violently.

Everybody spun around to see Delta, his fist in contact with the wall, the spot laced with gigantic cracks. Little debris began to fall as he withdrew, and a small stone fell onto Leon's head.

"Ow... what the hell was that about?"

"I don't want to be like this, but you guys forced me to," sighed Delta exasperatedly, shrugging.

"Alright, alright... don't crush me, I'll just... here, if it makes you happy, I'll surrender my weapon." Leon threw the rifle to the side, and held up his arms lazily.

"Aura... stand down," Delta warned. The Endergirl seemed torn between attacking Leon while he was vulnerable, and following suit with Delta's warnings. In the end, she backed down, relaxing only slightly. She turned to Cave Spider, talking quietly with it.

"Delta, we, uh, need to grab some milk... Aura's been, been bitten." Sima filled him in. "We'll need to find, uh, a... a cow. Where did we find, uh, that last one?"

Suddenly the sentry erupted in a torrent of sound, like the grating of massive boulders.

Jumping up, Aura peered out of the cave, then cried out with delight. She would have run out, had Cave Spider not stopped her. Sighing, the Endergirl stared out at the tall black figures.

"Endermen!" cried Sima, who also seemed about to jump out and greet them. Delta, remembering the fight by the river, held her back.

"Aura! Remember the last Enderman you saw? What if they're all against us."

Aura glared at Delta. "They're my own kin! They wouldn't-"

"That guy who jumped me was _my _kin, Aura," Leon reminded her. "He hated my guts, too... don't be so trustworthy simply because they're the same race as yours."

For once, the antagonistic soldier sounded sensible; Aura restrained herself, wondering what business the group of Endermen had.

A familiar _briip _was heard, and Aura watched as a purple swirl dispersed at the front of the cave, revealing a fully-grown Enderman.

"Well look at that, company," Leon scowled. "Let him speak..."

The Enderman scanned the group, his purple eyes stopping on Aura. "A child!" it yelled, voice joyful. "What are you doing here among humans?"

"They're my friends," Aura whispered, expression that of wonder.

The Enderman seemed to be surprised. "Really? This is... interesting. I've never known an Enderperson befriending humans before."

"I'm, uh, I'm friends with one," Sima piped up, feeling a little stupid. "It's... not that hard. You're, uh, you're nice people," she added, hoping some flattery would help the situation.

The Enderman looked at Sima. "Thank you," he replied, but not in a kind way. "And you must be?"

"I'm, uh, I'm Sima. That's uh, Leon, Aura, Delta, uh, Lexi, Cave Spider and Easha," she said, pointing to everyone in turn. The sentry's name was finally revealed.

"Greetings," the Enderman said, still monotonous. "I am Procerus, leader of the group of Endermen outside this cave.

"Um... nice to meet you?" mumbled Delta uncertainly.

"Nice to meet you," said Leon gruffly, seeming content with the Enderman's presence.

"Hi Mr Procerus," Lexi chirped, letting her eyes go unfocused before looking at him. The old trick still worked. It was kind of like one of those optical illusion things.

Procerus looked at Lexi suspiciously, and turned his attention to the rest of the team. "May I inquire what you people are doing here? Seeing humans in this place is quite unnatural," he asked.

"I dunno. We got here by _getting_ here. Woke up in a tree somewhere that way. Not sure about the others," Lexi shrugged, before turning to stare at the fire. "Fire... pretty..."

"How peculiar..." Procerus pondered thoughtfully. "Transportations between different worlds can't be natural."

"I thought so," muttered Delta.

"You teleport between dimensions," Aura pointed out. "How can worlds be much harder?"

"A dimension is contained within a world, contained within a universe. To transplant yourself between worlds is incredibly difficult; between universes, impossible. That is the way it has always been."

"Thanks for the explanation," Aura said. "But _why _are you here? That's what I really want to know."

"It's because of you, young lady. You are the cause of our arrival," Procerus answered darkly, standing over Leon.

"_Wait... since when did we say we were from different worlds?_" Lexi thought to herself, unnerved.

"Oh Leon, you're such a _lady, _even Procerus here agrees with me," smirked Aura, grinning openly.

"He's a lady?" Lexi stared at him, nervousness forgotten. "Wow, you're a really good crossdresser."

"Fuck off, Aura, seriously," growled Leon, glaring at the Endergirl.

"Ooh, a swear. Scary."

"Guys, cut it out." Delta said sternly. "You've had enough fighting for a day."

Procerus seemed amused by the bickering. He turned to Aura. "You're the only Enderchild left. Our home is gone, destroyed by humans." He spat the last word, ignoring the others.

Lexi gaped at him. "But the boss just visited the Enderdragon a few days ago, and it's in another dimension, how would humans have got there?"

"Different, uh, different world, Lexi," reminded Sima, but she was cut off by a cry of rage from Aura.

"Why did they do such a thing! _How_?"

Eyes downcast, Procerus let a burnt piece of paper flutter to the ground. Picking it up, Delta read aloud, "Enderman. Threat level: Extreme. Eliminate and remove all chances of repopulation." The paper smelt slightly of acid.

Aura sunk to the ground. Her expression was blank. The paper was marked in ink with a black fist. Examining it, Leon's face darkened.

"The Black Ward," he whispered, turning pale.

"The Black Ward?" Sima asked, as Aura's hands balled tightly into fists.

"Aye. This is their mark, and their work. Most likely on behalf of the government..."

"I'm going to kill all of them," Aura growled, hot tears of anger streaming from her eyes. "I'll kill them, their families, their loved ones, and burn them all-"

"I wouldn't go messing with the Black Ward, Aura," Leon warned sincerely. "If they could wipe out entire tribes of Endermen, what good could you do? You'd be dead before you could fire a single arrow." It was true that they hadn't eliminated _every _Enderman; a few still remained, including the one that Leon had befriended.

Aura's terrible glare turned to rest on Leon. "I bet you'd help them. I bet you _did_ help them. I wouldn't put such a thing below you."

"They killed my friends, too," Leon spat. "They kill whomever they're commanded to, I have nothing to do with them-"

Procerus teleported, kneeling before Aura, whispering, "Calm down child, it will be alright. You understand now why I was so surprised you were with these humans," he added. "How can we trust them now?"

"Yeah, how can you trust us now?" piped up Lexi, happily missing the meaning of the words.

"The humans were originally planning to use acid," the Enderman explained, tears glimmering in his own eyes. "But they hadn't enough to kill us all. So they simply used water instead."

Aura shuddered, thinking of water that reacted with certain minerals in Endermen's skin, harming them worse than the most potent of acids. Her thoughts turned to Delta, able to manipulate water, and she stared at him with hatred.

"It was...decimating. They ambushed many of us, catching us in sleep. They just emptied entire reservoirs of water onto villages, and hoped for the best."

Procerus shuddered at the mere memory, and Aura's anger grew even hotter.

"Stop it, stop it...enough already," she gasped, struggling to hold back tears and hatred. "We get the point."

"You won't fully understand it until you see such genocide with your own eyes, youngling," Procerus spoke sadly. "But very well, enough is enough. How _can _we trust you humans?"

Everyone shared nervous glances at one another; Aura knew that Sima and Lexi would never hurt an Enderman without provocation, but Leon and Delta were another story. She couldn't quite trust either of them.

"If you trust us or not is your own choice," Lexi shrugged.

"That's a hard choice to make, young human. You don't seem very threatening...but then again, you're still human. I hate to hold that against you."

"Opinions and choices. Everyone is entitled."

"You're quite wise for your age, human. Give our group five minutes to consider whether you are friends or not."

Procerus waved goodbye and then teleported outside once more. Leon, suspicious, watched the group from the cave entrance. They were gathered in a small circle down on the plains, talking inaudibly.

"Well, Sima...what do you think?" Lexi asked. The question could be loaded; these Endermen couldn't trust the humans, and yet they couldn't trust the Endermen. It all came down to who seemed the least intimidating.

"I, I don't know...I'd hate to foist this problem onto someone else-"

"All I'm asking for is your opinion!" Lexi encouraged her enthusiastically, then paused. "What's foist mean?"

"To give it to them, essentially. Like, I'd hate to pass this problem on..."

"I don't know if I can trust either of you," Aura muttered, her fists tight. "They come without notice, yes...but he sounded distraught enough. If what he said was true..." She turned slowly back to Leon, eyes burning with an unnatural fire.

"I told you I have nothing to do with the Black Ward. They killed friends of mine, and we fought against them. That's it," Leon argued.

"I have a hard time believing you-"

"I think that Leon's telling the truth," Lexi piped up once more. "I mean, he may not be the nicest guy around, but he doesn't seem like the crazy sort you'd expect. Sorry if I insulted anyone who _is_ crazy."

"Leon's telling the truth, I know it," Delta supported him. "It's not his fault the Endermen were all killed, he's as innocent as the rest of us. At least in _that _respect," Delta added quickly.

"Well, then, if, if that's settled, we should reach a decision. I, I think we can trust them," Sima piped up, and then quickly fell silent again.

"I suppose so...we'd have to keep a close eye on them," Delta added, and Lexi nodded her approval. Leon, from the far side of the cave, simply grunted "Yes" and then returned to his sentry. So it all came down to Aura.

"Aura. The, the choice is yours. They're, uh, they're your people, after all," Sima said softly.

"I...don't like to have so much pressure put on me," Aura argued, wincing noticeably.

"No pressure, Aura," Lexi chimed in happily. "Just tell us what you think. Or not tell."

Aura was torn between her people and her newfound... acquaintances? Not friends. Not yet, just companions...traveling companions...

At that point, Procerus returned to the cave in a flash of purple particles, appearing all of a sudden inside the cozy little home.

"We've made our decision. Have you made yours, then?" he asked, stooping slightly.

All eyes were, once more, upon Aura. She felt the pressure, once more...

"I...I don't know. Do I need to make it right now?"

"It's not necessary for you to make the decision _now_, but the sooner the better," Procerus answered. The Enderman sat down by the fire.

"Tell me, do you trust them?"

"I find it difficult, but yes. The humans who attacked us were not subtle-they came with fire, water and guns. They attacked us on sight... you, however, have not."

The word 'gun' spiked a memory in her. Strolling over to Leon, she shot out a long arm and grabbed his rifle. Turning around, she showed the deadly weapon to Procerus, ignoring Leon's cries of outrage.

"Don't touch that, you might set it off-"

Standing, Procerus loomed over Leon. "If she sets it off, I hope it's pointing at you."

Leon threw up his hands in fury.

"I..._I _am not one of the fucking Black Ward! I've never been on their side, I've never supported their actions, and I never told them to kill all of you-"

Scowling, Aura turned away. "I trust Sima, Lexi's never given me a reason not to, and Delta saved my life."

"And have you ever seen me murder hundreds of _anything_?"

"We haven't seen hundreds of anything. Yet."

"Thanks for the support," Leon spat, and turned away from the group. "If you need me, call."

"Argue later. Sleep now..." Trailing off, Lexi lay down and instantly fell asleep. Sima and Delta shrugged, finding their own space and falling asleep as well.

Tossing the gun at Leon's head, Aura followed suit, drifting into slumber.

Leon managed to catch the massive sniper rifle and took it up in his arms, keeping sentry. Suspicious as ever, Procerus instructed two of his number to do the same, before teleporting away, saying he would find a shelter to fit his own group.

Above them, the stars and moon watched on.

VVVVV

_At first, Aura knew her dreams were just that. Endstone surrounded her, and she could be seen. Far too well. From a black rip in the sky, hundreds of humans poured into the realm. Each man was armed with guns worse than Leon's, terrible machines that could rip apart a hundred bodies each. Stumbling back, she followed the black crowd, streaming into a palace the colour of night. Courtyards milled with hundreds of her kin, some terrified, some despairing. From below them a mighty rumble came. Rising up the center of the palace was a terrible beast, each scale blacker than an Enderman's, magenta eyes searching out its foes. Upon its back sat a mighty Enderman, crown resting on his head. The Enderking bid forth the dragon, yelling as he drew an obsidian sword._

_The beast tore apart the humans, each claw and tooth the size of a man halved. Its scales deflected every bullet directed at it. It was unstoppable, and victory seemed already gained. With their courage regained, the Enderpeople grabbed their own weapons, charging out behind their king. Following them, Aura felt no guilt as she shot down dozens of humans._  
_They had nearly reached the portal, when excited yelling came from the human's ranks. The front men began piling a wall of stone, though they were soon shot down. This new tactic was continued, until a wall thrice Aura's height spanned across the island._

_The sound of waves should have warned them, but when one is met with certain doom, they will dismiss it. The water rolled down the wall, like a deadly tsunami. Aura screamed, a cry of fury, anger, and immense sadness. She watched as the water rolled towards her, unmoving._

_Blackness. Aura could feel her body writhing around, yet she couldn't wake, for she was pulled into another dream._

_When she felt her eyes open, the same scream tore from her lips. Lying before her, eyes open in shock, was Sima. She didn't move an inch, and how could she, for Aura's own arrow was plunged into her heart. Beside her, slumped against the wall, Delta shook in pain. His neck was cut, blood poured out like the water in her last dream. Right before Aura, his eyes went blank, and his breathing ceased._

_"I trusted you! How could you-"_

_Spinning around at her own voice, Aura stopped short at the sight of Lexi, who had fallen onto her back, legs sticking out of the edge of the cave. Her innocent face was turned into that of horror, right below the arrow, a birch arrow from Aura's own quiver, looming from her forehead._

_"Aura, run!" Leon's voice came from outside the cave. Following it, Aura stood, transfixed in terror, as Procerus snatched the gun out of Leon's hand. Holding the thing like a toy, he pointed the barrel at Aura, smiling cruelly. _

_Ignoring the weapon, Aura's eyes sought the dreamer's. "Don't trust them. Whatever you do, don't trust them."_

_Crying out, Leon tossed Aura to the floor, taking her place as the trigger was pulled, and he fell to the ground, his head blown into pieces by the bone-shattering sniper rifle. Screaming, Aura leaped at Procerus, weaponless. She kicked, bit, scratched. Two Enderman intervened, pulling her away and holding her still._

_"You know," murmured Procerus, admiring the rifle. "I might have to keep this, it's damned useful. After my trip to the End, I'll ask my Lady, President Wycokrwyz."_

_"The End?" whispered Aura. "You mean-?"_

_Procerus simply nodded and smiled, then took aim._

VVVVV

_Delta looked around. He was in that same white space again; the Domain of Gods or whatever place he was there when Notch visited him in his dreams. Just like the last time, there was a flash of light, followed by a tall hooded figure._

_"Hello... Notch," he started tentatively. He wondered if he found out about him using his powers._

_"Delta824," the god started, but his voice sounded different from last time. There were no warmth or playfulness, only replaced with coldness. "I did warn you what would happen if you revealed your identity."_

_"I tried," pleaded Delta. "I really tried so hard to keep them under control. You have no idea-"_

_"And I said not to use in any circumstances," he cut through. "Wasn't that clear enough?"_

_"But my friend was in danger!" Delta exclaimed, fear creeping into his mind. Even though he only met Notch once, there was something wrong with this Notch he was talking to right now. "The Enderman... I had to hydrokinate, or she would have died."_

_"Valuing your friends more than yourself?" the god scoffed. "Noble indeed. But have you not considered what consequences would follow?"_

_"I-"_

_"You played right into the Monster Allies' hands, prince of the Overworld," said Notch, still in that emotionless voice. "All the possibilities... especially the Creeper King. He wants you to feel as much pain as possible before killing you slowly." He dragged the last word as if savouring it._

_Delta stared at him. "Um... you sound... different from last time I met you," he pointed out._

_"Did something get into you... or..."_

_"Different, am I?" cackled Notch. He definitely sounded more insane. "Realised just now? What a clueless person you are, Delta824. Why, you're the last prince of Minecraftia? Please, no one would believe you in this state."_

_His words made Delta's temper rise, but he calmed himself and said, "You're an imposter. No real Notch would sneer at people like that. Who are you?"_

_Notch - or the imposter - laughed derisively. "If you insist on finding out, you're welcome." His smile suddenly turned into a cruel black seam across his... green face? Every part of Notch began to change horribly, and after a few seconds, Delta was facing his greatest foe: the Creeper King._

_"What- how-" he stuttered. He didn't have any swords on him, nor any water or earth for defense._

_"Delta824," the Creeper King let out a bloodcurdling hiss. "You will die today." His lean green body suddenly lunged at him, glowing red pupils focused on Delta._

VVVVV

Delta jerked up, breathing fast. But something else caught his attention.

Not far away from him, Aura was thrashing and screaming on her spot. The others slowly started to wake up as well, staring at her. Her limbs were a blur, kicking and hitting away invisible enemies.

"Aura!" called Delta, scrambling towards her. "Wake up! You're only having a bad dream!" Yet some silent thought wondered if Delta was right about that.

Suddenly, Aura's eyes shot open, she sat up faster that seemed possible, and the most blood-curdling scream erupted from her. Her shaking hand shot to the right side of her head.  
"Aura, calm down," said Delta worriedly. "What was it you saw?"

"Delta-" Whispered Aura, before she cut herself off. Her eyes flew around the room, taking in the worried glances of Sima and Lexi.

"Wh-where's Leon?"

"He's over there, next to the Endermen." Following Lexi's pointed hand, Aura gazed at the soldier, back to her, between her and the Enderman. Grabbing for her bow, Aura notched and aimed an arrow, straight at Leon.

Noting the sound of the drawn string, Leon turned, taking in the sight of the hostile Endergirl. Not even bothering to open his mouth, he aimed his rifle at her heart.

"Out of the way," hissed Aura, and Leon had just enough sense to fall to the cave floor as an arrow flew over him, landing square in one of the Enderman's back.

"AURA!" Sima screamed. "Wh-what are you-" She cut off as the other black figure fell, and Aura nocked a third arrow.

"Come on. We only have seconds before the others find out."

"Aura, what is going on?" asked Delta, very confused at the turn of events.

"The Endermen are working for the bosses. And they _lied. _Just come _on_!"

Catching on, Delta scanned the cave for anything useful, pulling out a sword. He broke off some pieces of stone from the wall, stashing in his pocket. Lexi pulled out her stone sword as well and Leon standing up, readying his rifle. Only Sima stayed still, her eyes filled with horror as she stared at the fallen Enderman. "You-you killed him," she whispered.

Aura closed her eyes, fighting off a memory. "He killed you," she whispered, then ran off, the others following.

VVVVV

Procerus snapped shut the small communicator, the shape and size of a small shell. He grinned at his orders, he always loved it when he could kill something.

The stone ceiling suddenly shuddered, making every Enderman look up. They were quite deep underground. Surely no one would find them here...

The ceiling shuddered once more, and it suddenly exploded, sending chunks of rocks everywhere. The Endermen jerked back in alarm, and at that moment, Delta leapt down to the ground, followed by the others.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" said Leon, observing the Endermen, who were now regrouped and in front of Procerus to protect him.

"What is your business, humans?" Procerus asked innocently as possible.

"I think you know why we're here," Aura snapped, holding her bow aloft.

"I fear I'm not sure," Procerus answered, more unsure now. He wrung his hands anxiously.  
"You lied to us," Aura hissed, holding her bow steady. "You tried to deceive us, trick us into thinking you were our friends..."

"We're on your side, youngling...you have nothing to fear..."

Procerus was shaking now, trying to stay calm in the face of his accusers. He knew it was time to make his move...he still outnumbered them, his Endermen would be able to overcome them if he acted quickly enough...

He raised his arm to give the signal, but too late.

His right-hand man tried to teleport,but his head exploded before he could move as far as a single inch. In the enclosed space, the sniper rifle sounded like a cataclysmic explosion, deafening everyone temporarily. Aura, Lexi and Delta rushed into the fray before the Endermen, confused and stunned by the gunshot, could rally themselves and fight back.  
Two of them were slain before they even began to defend themselves. Procerus had lost the advantage when his sudden attack was stopped short; his people were now on the defensive, being backed against the far wall of the cave.

Delta swung his sword left and right, dodging the swipes of claws and slashing through Endermen on both sides. Aura, with reflexes faster than any human being, notched and loosed an arrow every few seconds, turning the defending Endermen into pincushions. Another head exploded, and a tall, decapitated body slumped to the ground as the gun roared once more.

Within a minute, only Procerus remained. He was standing against the back wall of the cave, arms raised, claws ready to fight to the death.

Delta with his sword stood before him, the point directed right at the Enderman's throat.  
"You betrayed us," he declared darkly, bleeding from a small gash on his forehead. "And to think, I might have trusted you..."

"I certainly trusted you," Aura spat, pushing Delta aside and coming face to face with the Enderman herself. "You led me on-"

"I was threatened into doing this. The Creeper King...and those damned humans, they coerced me into this," Procerus growled, eyes on Delta's sword, which was still pointed at his throat.

"You didn't have to listen. You could've fled to the End-whichever End you came from, in whichever world-"

"He would've pursued me there!" the Enderman hissed, trying to swat the bow away. It only served to bring more weapons to draw on him; Leon's massive sniper rifle was focused on a spot right in-between Procerus' eyes, threatening to end him in a millisecond.

Aura wanted to kill him, she truly did; he betrayed her, _would _have betrayed her if not for her dream. If she had stayed asleep...everyone would be dead now...

"How did you know?" Procerus whispered, his eyes darting from one human to the other, and finally back to the Endergirl.

"It's my curse and my blessing. What do you care?"

"I gave nothing away," Procerus said. "I know now that there's no point in feigning innocence, so I'll be frank. How did you know?"

"I saw what was going to happen, I dreamed it...horrible, all that I saw. My friends dying around me...yes, they're my friends. I _saw_. And I understood."

"You're one of the dreamers," he said blandly, licking his lips in interest.

"I am," Aura replied. "And for once, I'm glad for it. I _knew _what was going to happen...and now it's time for you to face judgment. Delta, sword."

"A-Aura? Are you-"

"_Give me the damned sword_," Aura snapped, tossing aside her bow. Delta did not hesitate for another moment; he handed his blade over to the Endergirl, if only for a minute.

"Please, forgive me, youngling-"

"Procerus, kneel."

"Please, no..."

"_I said kneel_."

Procerus, shivering and gasping for breath, fell to his knees as ordered, his eyes gleaming and searching for some ounce of pity, of mercy in Aura. There was none to be found in her eyes; only vengeance.

"I can help you, please..."

"You must be purged for what you've done, Procerus," Aura spoke in her tongue. "Close your eyes, and think of whatever paradise you can."

"You'll never shake us off...the only way this can end is in the death of all of you. _You know that_."

Aura raised the blade above her head, holding it steady in the air for only a moment.

Procerus had given up on trying to exact some ounce of mercy from his executioner; he closed those deep purple eyes and prepared for death.

The steel sang, and then the cave was silent.


	7. Mercy is a Thing I Do

**Exb: GREETINGS INTERNET! EXB HERE, because I made it to the A/N first.**

**Flu: Darn you, Exb. Ah well. You are responsible for most if not all of the extreme lulz in this chapter, so I guess that makes up for things. :D**

**Exb: You heard it from her, folks. I suppose it does =\**

**Lexi: *humming Angel With A Shotgun* *thinks of Leon* That is now what I'll imagine his voice is like.**

**Exb: Anyways, I'll give a shout-out to Katrina and HPE, who weren't here for the A/N. WE LOVE YOU BOTH, THOUGH.**

**Flu: In case you can't tell, we've decided we're doing 'spotlight' chapters for each character so you get to know everyone better. :D**

**Lexi: *sniggers at Exb* Expecially HPE, riiiiiight?**

**Exb: YOU CAN'T KNOW THE TRUTH! IT'S [REDACTED, CLASSIFIED CIA INTELLIGENCE]**

**Flu: American authorities. THIS IS THE REALMS. THERE ARE NO AMERICANS HERE. **

**Exb: Then I suppose I'm hopeless. *surrenders***

**Flu: Yes. Yes you are. I can't type my name here without typing 'fly'. ANYWAY. I suppose we shall begin this ridiculously long thingy?**

**Exb: Yes. ENJOY THIS CHAPTER. It should be fun :3**

**Lexi: And if it isn't, you can always wait for the next one. Or use a TARDIS.**

Delta's sword was still specked with blood, bits of bluish liquid that were all that remained of Procerus' life. In the dawn light, the group walked back towards their cave, exhausted and horrified by their night's work. Sima watched them from above.

An entire group of Endermen had just pledged assistance to them, then turned around and betrayed them in a single day. They were all dead now; thanks to Aura's "curse", they had foreseen the danger and had slain every single Enderman, including their leader Procerus.

_"You'll never shake us off...the only way this can end is in the death of all of you. You know that."_

Sima, left behind in the cave, had heard it all. Cave Spider and Easha the sentry sat either side of her as she flinched, the sound of iron parting scale and flesh lacing through her head as though the sword had been driven through her instead.

"What has happened, Sima?" Easha creaked, glowing face pulsing with worry.

"Um... they've... killed them. A-all of them. They... m-meant to kill us. A-and now they're dead."

"Oh," said Cave Spider, voice small.

"Yeah. Oh." The girl's blue eyes couldn't pick out the details of the group's faces that far away, but she studied them, hoping desperately to see some kind of remorse or sorrow or... _something_ there.

"Maybe... maybe they left a few alive?" the spider asked curiously, trying to be optimistic. "If it's small comfort..."

Sima shook her head slowly. "I heard them die. Aura and, and Delta and Leon are fighters... they're, they're not like me. I don't... get them."

"If the Endermen would have betrayed us, it is a good thing your friends have killed them," grated Easha.

"Is, is it r-really a good thing? They didn't need, need to die," Sima said, her eyes watering now at the thought of so many Endermen dead.

"I don't know. Wait and see what they say when they return, perhaps?" Cave Spider suggested.

One by one, the others streamed into the cave, sweaty and bloody and tired. Leon seemed to be the most exhausted; he had lugged the massive sniper rifle all the way to that cave, and then back again. Small wonder he flopped down onto his bedroll the second he set the giant firearm down on the ground.

"How, how did it go?" Sima asked nervously as though she didn't already know, her hand on Cave Spider's head. The arachnid shrunk back from her touch.

"I think you know the answer to that, Sima," Delta cautioned her, but Aura had to tell the entire tale.

"That bastard betrayed us, that's what. I almost trusted him... but then, then he..."

Aura could not finish. She flung her bow down in frustration and fell down by the campfire, almost in tears once more.

"We killed every last one. I'm sorry, Sima... we had no choice," Leon said, sitting up on his bedroll.

"At least you apologised for once." She smiled humorlessly. It looked more like a grimace.

"I'm n-not, not even going to a-ask if you did it quickly."

"It was less than a minute, if that's any comfort," Leon consoled her. "And Procerus died quickly. On his knees yes-Aura executed him-but it was an instantaneous death. No pain."  
Sima bit her lip and tried to console herself with that. It almost worked. "W-well, um..." she trailed off, lost for words, and hugged Easha to her side.

"It was them or us, Sima. Sorry," Lexi comforted her as she furnished a chest on the workbench and set it aside. "We could use some extra storage space... for all of these ender pearls."

"Damnit, Lexi, I told you not to loot any more bodies!" Aura rebuked her angrily, stomping over to the chest and seizing one of the pearls.

"Let her keep them, Aura," Delta reprimanded, trying to keep them calm. "We might need them eventually. The End, perhaps?"

"Sorry... I did not think about that. Just... keep them out of sight, alright? I don't need a daily reminder of this," Aura spat, shutting the chest angrily. Lexi shrugged and deposited eight pearls into the storage box, along with a couple of cold, two-day-old steaks, hissing as she examined a few small scratches on her arm. She probably had the most injuries of the four who'd attacked, just scratches and bruises. The stories about their fighting skills hadn't been exaggerated after all.

"The End," Sima mused, staring at the cave ceiling. "That's, that's the place where the, uh, dragon lives. The Enderdragon or something. Uh, right?"

"That's it," Delta replied. "It depends on the world... apparently in some worlds, it's different. Like Leon's for example."

"I, I bet you'd want to kill that too." She still wasn't looking at them. She didn't want to.

Lexi looked affronted. "I like the Enderdragon, she's nice. And one of boss' allies. No way."

"I have no wish to kill it if it doesn't harm me," Delta shrugged, retrofitting some of the floor with wood blocks to make it feel homier. Sima sighed, wishing she could just hate them and be done with it, before stumbling to her feet and beginning to help Delta.

"It shouldn't," murmured Aura, then she shook her head and sighed.

"Lexi's right. It was either us, or them," Delta tried to console her once more, handing her several blocks of wood. "They would've come after you too. And Easha, and the spider."

The mentioned mobs shared a concerned glance as Sima bit her lip again, concentrating on filling in the blocks. Here she went again, conflicted with good and evil.

"Perhaps we could use a furnace? An open fire is a bit... dangerous, don't you think?" Lexi asked. Delta and Aura nodded their agreement, Leon wondering why they couldn't have an electric stove.

"If you knew _anything _about modern electronics, you'd forsake this piece of coal-fed garbage and get an electric-powered oven..."

"Leon, can it, would you kindly please?" Aura asked, trying to be nice for once. "We don't have... elec...er...triticy. Or whatever it is."

"Yeah, get over it, Leon. If I can go without fridges and stoves for a month, so can you," Sima joked, smiling a little. "It's not that hard."

"I'll live, I suppose. I was only suggesting it..."

Lexi headed over to the crafting table with a few blocks of stone she'd retrieved from the wall of the cave and shaped them into a cobblestone cube with a hollow centre and an open front. She hefted the near-perfect furnace from the workbench and tossed it from hand to hand, admiring her workmanship. "This thing holds fire," she noted happily.

"And we've got more than enough coal to keep it burning. Set it up, Lexi," Delta asked.

"Burning things!" she chirped, tossing it gently at a space near the crafting table and watching it expand to full size. She seized some coal from her backpack and tossed it into the furnace. A single swish of flint and steel, and the black rocks were ignited, warming the entire area.

"Well, isn't that efficient. We might as well cook the rest of our steak and split it," Leon suggested.

"Breakfast... yum..." Lexi's stomach growled as she tossed the two succulent cuts into the fire. That was the last of their food, currently... save Leon's rations, which were still unused in his backpack. They weren't _that_ desperate. Yet.

By then, the entire floor, save for the area in front of the furnace, had been converted into wooden blocks, much more comfortable. A furnace, two chests and a workbench were set off to one side of the room, and bedrolls were spread out around where the fire used to be.

"We need to get down to some business, as much as I hate to say it," Leon said, as everyone warmed themselves in front of the fire.

"Leon's right. Our problems just multiplied-_big time_," Delta said, holding his hands out to the flames. "Now with this whole thing with Procerus..."

"That does make everything worse. He said that there would always be more after him-"

"He was full of hot air," Aura sneered. "I'm glad I killed him. He turned against me... his own kin..." She was cut of by a hiss of pain from her own lips.

"Aura? What's the matter?" Leon asked, catching her as she stood up and began to stumble.  
Gently, she poked her upper thigh through her pants. "Crap," she moaned.

"You're, you're still bitten," realised Sima, moaning. "We, uh, we need to find milk and, and soon."

"I can go out and find some if...uh...necessary," Leon volunteered, raising his hand wearily.

"You're still injured," muttered Aura.

"Not badly. I can find a cow, I'm not that damn disabled."

"Uh, Cave Spider could probably, uh, smell them," suggested Sima, glancing at the spider, who nodded.

"Eight legs, you with me?" Leon asked. The spider shrunk back to Sima's side briefly, afraid of Leon's assault rifle, but at a nudge from her he crawled towards Leon. Looking him up and down dubiously, he gave a _shcee-oo _of grudging agreement.

"We'll be back soon. Take care," Leon said his farewell, and he and the spider departed into the morning light.

"Kinda hope he doesn't come back," Sima whispered to Easha, who creaked, amused.

"Perhaps we could make a Nether portal? We have enough diamonds to make a pickaxe, and we can find obsidian..."

Delta's idea had merit, but it would be difficult; Leon was gone, and Aura was out of action. That would leave a warrior, a cowardly Listener, and a sugar-and-gore loving kid.

"It's just us three, then," Lexi chimed. "It's like the three caballeros thingy from that movie, 'cept we're not parrots!"

Already Sima was dreading this; she never liked that dreary cave, preferring the open air and blue skies of the Overworld's surface to the dank dungeons and damp caves that lay beneath. "Um. M-maybe we can, uh, wait for Leon to come back with milk and... I can... _not _go?"

"You'd make good company Sima," Aura chuckled evilly. "I'm sure they'd _love _to have you along."

Delta did not look so sure of this, but Lexi was nearly bouncing off the walls at the simple thought of such an endeavor.

"It'll be just us three! SO FUN! Must keep off the sugar for a while... too much happiness. Ick."

"Uh, I can, I can..." Sima searched desperately for some way she could make herself useful without going into the underground. "I can... go look for food! Yeah, I could, uh, go look for food, and... uh... stuff," she trailed off, grinning hopefully.

Lexi, however, had different plans. She shoved a fresh iron pickaxe into Sima's arms. "Here, you can look for iron and coal-Delta can look for obsidian, I trust him more than I trust myself..."

"Oh, come _on," _Sima moaned, straightening up again after the initial shock of the tool's weight.

"Well, I guess we do need resources," Delta remarked, hefting his own diamond pickaxe. "I carry a heavy burden here..."

"We trust you the most, Delta," Lexi said unabashedly. "Sorry, Sima-"

"It's alright. I, I'm not that good of a miner anyway," Sima remarked, suddenly feeling injured. "I, uh, guess I can't get out of it, then... uh, come on, Easha," she said, beckoning the sentry over to her.

"Ready, Delta?" Lexi asked, drawing one of the steaks from the furnace.

Aura, unable to stand, was inspecting her bow for damage. When she turned to place it, unstrung, back in her quiver, she groaned in horror.

"What, uh, what is it, Aura?" Sima queried, concerned.

"I've only two arrows left. If I run out I'll be useless."

"We'll have to get you a sword," Delta noted. "Once we find some iron, would you like one?"  
Aura thought for a moment. "I have some practice with swords, but I am better at ranged attacking."

"Suit yourself," the warrior replied as he chose an iron sword to buckle to his hip. "Stay off your feet, Leon will be back soon."

Delta led the way down their tunnel, brandishing his diamond pick, followed closely by Lexi. Sima waved one last cheery goodbye to Aura before leaving with them, Easha close on her heels.

When they reached the ladder, the zombie was still there, avoiding the torches that now trapped him in a single corner.

"_Methinks ya got me stuck here in this wee corner. Could ye be so kind as to remove a couple o' torches, kind lass?_" the zombie asked to none of them in particular. Sima, being the rear-guard, removed some of the torches and allowed the zombie to leave his corner.

"_Thank you kindly, madam. I'll be expectin' no more of ye_," the zombie called cheerfully as it wound its way down a dark tunnel, away from them. Sima and Lexi waved and called out their farewells.

"He was, he was nice," Sima smiled as he disappeared into a dark fog.

"Yeah, but he didn't have any cookies," Lexi mused. "Zombies can't make things explode either. But they're good at melee."

"Yeah, I, uh, guess so. But let's, let's get going - Delta's going to leave us behind," Sima noticed, and the two rushed to catch up with him.

They neared the ravine once more, that massive fissure deep beneath the earth. There was obsidian, certainly, where cold water streams met the boiling heat of magma. That was where they wanted to be.

"This isn't going to be a particularly safe task," Delta mused, staring at the black rock down below. "I think you two should stay back. I'll go in."

"I wanna be near the fire," complained Lexi.

"Stand, stand near a torch, then," Sima suggested, amused. "And don't get too close..."

"Sima, try to keep Lexi from burning her face off. It'll take me a little while to dislodge some of this obsidian."

Delta descended down to the bottom of the ravine as Lexi wandered off to stare at torches. Sima, however, felt something pulling her, nagging at her. Easha was standing beside her, rather content to be down in the stony depths of the earth.

"Easha... let's, let's go for a walk. In the mineshaft... just, uh, for a little while."

Sima didn't know why she had suggested this, but it was appealing, to be able to take a little stroll through a well-lit system of tunnels. The sentry grumbled, but followed her as she walked into the nearest entrance and entered the labyrinth. She weaved her way past corner after corner, support after support, bridge after bridge. She stepped between rusty tracks and ran her hands over ore-studded walls, ducked beneath precarious arches of gravel and peered down dark and mysterious halls. Easha hopped along behind her, pointing out things, making comments, guiding her down interesting ways. The mineshaft led them up and down, left and right, past thickets of web where cave spiders clung and called out cheery greetings from around their spawners. Wandering, Sima and Easha did not move quickly and shared many a laugh as the sentry recounted her life in Delta's world's Aether and Sima told her of the Overworld she knew.

"Your home sounds beautiful," Easha said at one point, resting on a small pillar of gravel. "And you wish to bring peace between the monsters and Minecrafters? That would be a very nice thing, if all the monster kings had no place and all creatures lived in harmony," she added dreamily, but her blue swirl of a face twisted in what Sima had come to recognise as amusement. "It is unlikely, however. You have set yourself a very difficult goal. I doubt you will achieve it."

Sima frowned. "I, I know it'll be hard, but, but my friends and I, we'll, uh, we'll do it."

"I think you are too optimistic," Easha complained.

"Well, if, if I'm not optimistic I'll give up," laughed Sima, a hint of despair in her voice. "I've been nearly, uh, nearly _killed_ so many times and... if it wasn't for those, those prophets saying that I _will _succeed, I'd just, I'd just give up right now. It's, it's too hard and too scary a-and, and there are t-too many people who hate me for me to keep going if I'm unsure that, that it's going to work."

"It seems like you've made quite a few enemies on your quest," Easha noticed.

Sima gave a rather bitter laugh. "Rose Leader and, uh, th-the entire city of Swampheart for one..."

"I have a feeling this list is going to go on and on," Easha sighed, struggling to catch up with Sima as she strode faster down the narrow stone halls.

"Before I'm done, I, I bet it will," said the girl, running her hand over an odd marking on a wall. "I, I wonder if Minecrafters have, uh, have ever been here. It, it doesn't look like it."

"I wouldn't know. We mobs of the Aether tend to mind our own business, until big bullies like Quadratus interfere."

"Maybe we could, uh, find a cave or something with, with mobs in it and, and ask," Sima mused, continuing again.

"You certainly are nosy, aren't you?" said Easha wryly, hopping along beside her.

"Curiosity is, is different from, um, being nosy," Sima argued. "I'm, I'm curious..."

Easha creaked in amusement and pointed out another turn they could take, jumping down the passage before her friend could disagree.

"I, I have no idea where we're going..."

"Neither do I. We'll find a way out, eventually. And if worse comes to worst, you could always dig your way out," Easha pointed out. Sima did hold a pickaxe, that was true; digging, however, might be a challenge. Sima was never very physical. She groaned as the tunnel's dead end came in sight, but the sentry's odd method of vision pointed out a small hole in the base of the left wall that vanished into darkness. "You did wish to find a cave."

"Guess I, I should be careful what I, uh, wish for," Sima grinned, lying on her stomach and laying the pickaxe aside to peer into the hole. She couldn't see anything past it, but it was just big enough to fit her and the sentry. Would she be the gullible movie character who entered the dark hole?

Yeah. She would.

She wriggled forward and attempted to pull herself through, struggling to get her arms around the just-too-thick wall on the other side. She had begun to question her plan of going in head-first when she was about a centimetre too far in and she began to slide down the steep dirt slope on the other side, shrieking in surprise and thrashing about until her face was imbedded in a pile of gravel. The sentry followed her as she extracted herself from the grainy stuff, though Easha lost her grip and ended up tumbling into the gravel too. "Oh, this is _not _icestone!" she creaked, shaking herself out of it.

"That, that wasn't supposed to, to happen," Sima shuddered, trying to wrench herself free of the harsh stone.

"I would hope not," grumbled the sentry, attempting to help Sima out. When she was back on her feet they looked around, though neither could see a thing in the darkness. "Well, is this not just-"

"Wait, shh," Sima shushed her, holding out a hand. "I, I think I hear breathing. There's, uh... there's someone in here."

As if on cue, from out of the black fog came a familiarly tall green form, eyes glinting golden in the small light from the mineshaft. "Hello there," the creeper rasped, sounding surprised.  
"Uh, h-hi!" Sima replied cheerily, and Easha gave her own greeting. "Nice, uh, nice to see you down here."

"Well, it's quite a surprise to see someone like you down here. Haven't seen a fleshbag... well, ever, actually," the creeper recalled. "Me parents' parents' parents' grandparents did, but... not me."

"So... Minecrafters, uh, lived here once?"

"Yup," replied the creeper. "Used to be all over the place. The skeletons and the endermen tell stories 'bout 'em sometimes. They pretty much broke the world and broke with it, then the world got over it and all the mobs and the sun and stuff came back," he explained.

"R-really?" Sima was surprised and overjoyed. "Everything got fixed? It, it didn't end there?"  
"Yup. The Realms're good at gettin' over things, the skellies say."

Sima smiled. Leon's world hadn't been the end.

"I remember my grandpa used ta tell me tales of the olden days, back when we were confined to the lowest layers," the creeper said, standing idly on top of some iron.

"He, he told you stories? Or tales?" Sima asked. The difference was stories were truth; tales were exaggerated truth.

"A mix of both, I would say."

"How, how did things... uh, end up?" Sima asked nervously. She didn't really want to hear the entire tale, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"Well, back when the humans started gettin' their steamy engines and boom sticks, they got all big in the head and decided ta come n' exterminate all of us mobs."

Sima was already pale, hearing those words in the same sentence.

_Exterminate... mobs... who would be so cruel as to do such a thing?_

Leon might kill mobs, but he had his reasons and his paranoia. But there was no sane reason to commit complete genocide.

"And... and then, then what happened?"

"Well, that was a long period of time. I don't really know," the creeper mused. "The old mobs heard stories of great towers reaching to the sky and giant machines slicing through the clouds and flying like dragons. I could never believe my grandpa, mind ye, so a lot of this sounds like rubbish."

_Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't_, Sima thought. _Leon certainly does have a lot of interestingly futuristic items with him..._

"Well, anyways, they got too powerful for their own good, some say. They wiped themselves out in ash and smoke and fire... others say the Enderdragon rose up and destroyed them and restored the world to its peaceful state. And still others say that the great gods grew angry and destroyed mankind... I don't know which one to believe, they all sound ridiculous," the creeper admitted.

"Well, uh, thanks, thanks for that rousing story," Sima smiled, shaking some loose gravel out of her shirt. "It was certainly... interesting."

"Mind you, it might not be entirely true," the creeper rasped. "Don't go believin' everything I say. My grandpa wasn't right in the head... everyone said he had too much gunpowder in that noggin o' his."

Sima couldn't help but laugh. The story _was_ quite heartening; humans, Leon's evil and twisted race, had been destroyed and the world had returned to the way Sima had known in, when humanity was young and earnest. It seemed like quite a happy story.

"Well, I need to depart. Got a cave to patrol, ya never know what them silverfish are gonna be up to. Poppin in and outta blocks and eatin' their way through the walls... take care, Listener!" the creeper called as he disappeared back into the darkness, heading in the opposite direction to which he had come.

"If he is not the most insane quadruped to ever walk the Overworld, I'm not a sentient cube," Easha declared heartily.

"Did you hear what he said, though? About silverfish?" Sima asked, sounding more excited now.

"I don't know anything about them. What did he say?" the cube creaked.

"He just, just mentioned them, that's it!"

"What is so interesting about these silverfish, then?"

"I've, I've never met a silverfish before," grinned Sima. "Think, uh, do you think they're nice?"

"I wouldn't know," replied Easha dismissively. "I do not know much of the Overworld."

"What, uh, what do you think they, they look like?" Sima beckoned her sentry friend forward, heading in the direction the creeper had come from.

"I do not know," Easha creaked, unwilling to bother imagining it. Sima sighed exasperatedly.

"Sentries aren't, uh, aren't really that imaginative, are they?"

"There is not much room for an imagination in a body made of granite and designed to protect a Slider," remarked the sentry.

"Well, point is, silverfish mean a, a stronghold!" Sima exclaimed. "Just where exactly, I don't know..."

"Stronghold? Sounds... strong," Easha muttered, confused.

"I've, uh, I've heard of them in a story," explained Sima. "They're really hard to find and, uh, I think they're like castles underground... big labyrinths and, and endless corridors and some kind of portal, or, or something. Kyanite Archer called them rifts in dimensions or, uh, or something, the way to get to the End."

"The End? That is where the Endermen come from, correct?"

"Uh, yeah... I think so."

"Sima...you are not going to go _searching _for this stronghold, are you?" Easha asked, suspicious.

"Er, no, no... I'm not going, going to go looking for it," Sima laughed nervously. She was almost completely transparent, however.

"It is not worth it," the cube argued. "You'll get lost, and then who knows what will happen..."

"I can... I can find a way to the surface or whatever," retorted Sima. "I just... uh, I wanna see what strongholds are like."

"Not to offend you, but I doubt that," Easha worried. "You can hardly walk a straight line, much less dig one." Sima glared at her.

"Gee, uh, thanks," she said sarcastically, flicking the sentry as she hopped past near the girl's head and regretting it immediately, holding her injured finger. "Ow, you're made of freaking _granite..."_

Easha gave a creaky laugh. "I tell only the truth, Sima. Now, let us turn-"

Suddenly high-pitched hisses and shrieks erupted from the walls as they appeared to ripple, and some kind of moving grey mass erupted from the wall a short way ahead and seethed on the cave floor. Sima and Easha recoiled, Sima crying out in surprise.

"Hey, look, it's a thingy!"

"Hi, thingy!"

"Do you taste nice?"

"You look tasty."

"Let's chew on her legs!"

High-pitched cries erupted from the mass and about twenty voices tried to speak at once as tiny, spiny creatures leapt over each other in a bid to reach Sima.

"I-I'm not tasty!" she screamed, stumbling backwards. "I t-taste horrible! I'm p-poisonous!"

"Nibble on the thingy, nibble on it!"

"I wanna nibble first!"

"Get out of the way, stupid!"

"I'll eat you all!" said one particularly fat silverfish, who, upon leaping out of his stone, landed on two of his comrades below and promptly squashed them. Sima turned and fled as Easha leapt forward and crushed a small crowd of them, rocky hide impervious to their tiny fangs. Breathing heavily already, Sima tried to yell back at them and tell them to stop, but their eager and high-pitched cries did not fail to meet her ears as she raced back down the passage. Suddenly there was the gravel hill and light poking in from the mineshaft; Sima tried to scramble up it, but it slid from beneath her feet and she couldn't find purchase on the ever-shifting grains.

"Get it before it gets away!"

"It runs on two legs! We run on six! We can catch it!"

The silverfish scuttled over one another as they pursued the pair out of the stronghold and into the cave itself.

"Easha... h-help me clear this gravel-"

"I'd love to help, but I lack _arms_," the sentry muttered sarcastically, pointing out its lack of any limb at all. "I'll try to hold the little buggers off."

Sima, desperate, began to dig away at the gravel, cutting her fingers in the process. Disgusting squishing sounds could be heard from behind, as well as the annoying war cries of a swarm of blatantly moronic, egotistical silverfish. Sima bit back feelings of sorrow for them, whimpering under her breath at her stinging hands, and focused on trying to build some kind of staircase upwards with the gravel.

Until six small, sharp pinpricks of pain appeared on her lower leg.

"I got it! I got it!"

Sima screamed, flailed, danced about in a panic and finally thought to reach down and prise the creature from her limb, gasping in pain at the sharpness of its spines and lifting it up to stare into its beady eyes.

"Whoa, you're _ugly." _It sounded bewildered.

"Y-you're almost kinda cute..."

"Put me down you two-legged sack of flesh! I... am... a king!" It struggled to bite free of her hand, but only succeeded in biting one of its own legs off.

"Drat, I needed that... now put me down! Or I shall command my peasants to chew on you!"

"I'll... I'll rip you in, uh, in half if you don't call them, call them off," Sima threatened, struck with an epiphany. She doubted she could actually bear to, but it was worth a try.

"Oh yeah? You and what army? I've got an army... a stupid one perhaps, but it's an army all the same..."

Sima hesitated before taking its tail in one hand and its head in the other. "I, I don't need an army," she said. "I-I'm bigger than you." Very gently, she tugged and the silverfish shrieked.

"Alright! Alright! I give in! Guys! Go away! Now!" it yelled. The other silverfish looked up at it blankly.

"But I wanna _eat _it," one complained.

"GO. AWAY. NOW."

Muttering and mumbling in annoyance, the silverfish swarm turned and scuttled back down the cave. Their king sighed in relief.

"Now put me down! I command you!"

"Uh, no thanks," replied Sima, managing to find a way to hold it almost comfortably. "You're, uh, you're coming with me until I get away from, uh, from this cave. _Then _I'll, I'll let you go."

"You can't do this to me! I am a king, King of the Silverfish, just wait until my horde finds you, or wait until I get a chance to nibble on you-"

Sima sighed. "I don't, uh, I don't _want _to rip you in half. I just, I just want to get out of here. If you, if you promise to leave me alone, I'll, I'll just let you go right now." She had experience dealing with spiders, childish creatures who put a lot of value to a promise; she assumed silverfish weren't much different.

"If you must take me hostage, I will be treated like a proper king!" the silverfish demanded, squirming to get free. "Meals are to be provided, I will be bathed daily, and you must, absolutely _must _cater to my every whim. Including telling me how cute I am."

Sima grinned. "Uh, of course, uh, Your Majesty." Easha was staring at her blankly. "You won't be with me for, uh, for long."

"That is... the proper term... OUCH! I command this stone wall to be executed _immediately_!" the king screeched as, during his squirming, he swung to the left and slammed into the cave wall. "Do whatever you do to walls. If it has a head, take it off. If it doesn't have a head... well, I'll think of something," the tiny insect commanded, swaying gently in Sima's hand.

"Y-yeah, sure," Sima laughed, giddy now. She was so dead. There was going to be a time where she'd try something like this and get killed anyway. There was going to be one point where this wasn't going to work and it would be the death of her. "Now, uh, do you know any other ways of, uh, of getting back into the mineshaft, Y-Your Majesty? This gravel is kind of... uh... messed up, now..." She stared at the ruined pile despairingly.

"I suppose I could chew my way out. We silverfish pride ourselves on our abilities to brutally gnaw on anything that stands in our path," the king spoke, his hubris on display.  
"Why, I could make quite short work of this gravel, just give me a moment..."

Sima was reluctant to let the small insect go, but she did anyway, shaking her bruised and cut hands to try and ward off the sting. He scurried into the gravel and began to bite at it, digging deeper and deeper. After a few minutes of relative silence had passed, a tiny voice called out from within the rubble.

"I do believe My Royal Majesty is stuck. Er... could the ugly, stupid, nosy flesh sack lend one of those disgustingly germy hands?" Sima held back a fit of giggles and knelt beside the pile of gravel, wincing as she forced her hand inside and felt for a spiny form. Finally what felt like a small clump of needles pricked her fingertips and, resisting the urge to recoil, she-

"Please try to get me out of here... _but don't touch me!_" the silverfish snapped. "I don't want those greasy mitts touching my pure body..."

Against his wishes, Sima grasped the bug and dragged him out of the gravel. As she let go of him, he shuddered and shook gravel off of his scaly body.

"I'll never wash all of that off. Consider yourself lucky that I didn't try to eat your finger, because I was about to."

"Th-thank you for your, uh, for your kindness, Your Majesty." Sima tried not to grin, ducking her head in a gesture of what was supposed to be subservience. Easha managed to roll her spiral.

"Perhaps I shall try to return to the soldier and the insane one and get them to come here?" the sentry suggested. "You appear to have lost your pickaxe, Sima, so you will not be much help. Despite... _His Majesty's _efforts."

"Perhaps I can lead you through the stronghold of mine? I believe it doubles back on the ravine you seek... of course, I will tell my subjects they can only taste you, not actually _consume _any of your flesh..."

Sima winced at that prospect, but decided it would be pointless to argue with the egotistical king. "I think we should, uh, go with the king, Easha," she agreed. "We went, uh, really far from the ravine. You'll, you'll never find your way back."

"You'll be pathetically lost," the king scoffed. "I will lead you back, but only because I am a merciful ruler. But _first_, I must show you off as captives to my people. They must think that you are the captives, not me."

"Oh, uh, of course, Your, Your Majesty," said Sima, standing up. "Uh, lead the way, I suppose."

The silverfish began to scuttle off, passing the squishy remnants of some of his soldiers.

"Look at what that imbecilic cube of yours has done to my footmen... at least it squashed Drew the Detestable. _Nobody_ liked him," the king sneered at one of the squashed bugs.

"Well, glad to be of service..."

"But look at all of these others! Eric the Egotistical, Ultar the Unready, Simon the Shameful, Sam the Seductive... all good bugs, squished like... well, like bugs."

"I'm, uh, I'm sorry, sire," Sima apologised. "Easha was, uh, was just protecting me. I hate to, uh, to see anyone killed. Hopefully we can, uh, we can get through this without anyone else, uh, getting hurt." She picked her way carefully through the ranks of crushed insects, Easha just hopping carelessly over them.

"Hubert the Hurler, Isaac the Ignorant... so many dead today. Be glad I am protecting you, for otherwise you would be reduced to a four-course meal in an instant!" the king proclaimed as he led the way back into the stronghold. The stone floor changed to the smoother stone brick, and corridors led off into the darkness. "This is, uh, this is a really nice place," Sima lied, avoiding a few bricks covered in mosses and odd green slimy matter. "You've got a, uh, a very nice kingdom h-here."

"Oh, yes, about as nice as-" Easha was cut off by Sima poking her in the spiral and shushing her.

"He can get me ripped to, uh, ripped to shreds in an instant," the girl hissed. "Getting him annoyed is, is a bad i-idea."

The king led them deeper and deeper into the stronghold, taking turns every several seconds and becoming seemingly lost inside the complex. Sima was more nervous with every step; was he going to keep his promise? He seemed to be too stupid to deceive them, but nonetheless, she felt anxious.

Finally, they arrived in a large square room with a fountain at the center and jail cells all around them.

"Is, is this the ravine?"

"Does it _look _like a ravine to you, flesh sack?" the king asked, scoffing. Sima winced.

"Uh, no. Not really."

"Oh, _what a surprise," _creaked Easha, exasperated at her human friend.

"Well, at least you've realized that it's _not _where you are supposed to be. Well, allow me to introduce you to... _MY KINGDOM!_"

The announcement was epic, but the room stayed silent. The silverfish king was slightly bemused; he coughed awkwardly.

"Ahem... _MY KINGDOM!_ That was... the damn cue, you morons..."

A thousand silverfish rushed out of the walls, slightly late. Even though they had missed their apparent cue, they took both Sima and Easha by surprise, there were so many of them. The pair were pushed back into one of the adjacent cells and knocked to the ground by the swarm of insects.

"Hold them in place, bind them! We've got them now!" the king exclaimed, crawling up to the top of the fountain to speak to all of his "royal subjects".

Sima, helpless, felt rope reaching around her hands and feet. Easha, being a cube, could not be tied up; instead, from above an anvil fell and landed on her, pinning her to the floor.

"And you silly intruders thought I was leading you to safety? _HA_! My glorious plan worked out perfectly! _Almost_... if _someone_ had remembered their cue..."

He growled at the silverfish below, and their excitement wore off pretty quickly. As the horde of insects fell silent, Sima found her voice once more.

"Um... I... um..."

And she lost it again.

_Nice going, Sima. This shows your skill in speaking. The _lack _of it._

"Sima? Aren't you going to say something?" Easha whispered.

Sima hesitated, as a bucket appeared out of nowhere, borne by several silverfish.

"Um... Sorry?"

Easha wished she could facepalm.

"Yes, yes, bring the lava bucket! We shall torture them and take pleasure in their pain-"  
As the king cried out, the lava bucket being carried by several silverfish tipped over and dumped its contents onto the small insects. The result was mass confusion, as Sima tried to find her courage.

"I... Easha, I can't think of anything to say..."

"Say _something_! Do something!"

Sima could feel the tears coming on now; she was afraid, even though they were only pint-sized insects, several of whom were now ablaze. She tried to speak to Easha, but she was desperately trying to choke back tears and fight against the chafing rope that bound her already stinging hands.

"No, no, _no_, jump into the water, you fools! Imbeciles! Water will put the fire out!" the Silverfish King screamed as more of his subjects caught on fire and, ignorant of the water fountain right next to them, ran around in circles, shrieking and slamming into walls, the floor and each other.

"G-get into the stupid water!" Sima choked out, more concerned for the creatures that were trying to brutally kill her than herself. Easha growled in frustration at her insane friend and attempted to wriggle out from under the anvil, but it was too heavy. She could barely move.  
"Sima, you _need _to look after yourself for once. Forget the silverfish, act like an actual Minecrafter and _break the Netherwalking ropes."_

"I... I can't," Sima coughed, struggling. "They're too tight..."

"Well, then I suppose we will just sit here and be tortured to death. Not like that's going to happen _anytime _soon," Easha growled as the last of the burning silverfish crumbled to ashes. There were at least two dozen ash piles on the floor, and the rest of the insects had departed, except for the king.

"I rule a kingdom of morons. Ah well...we'll put the human on the rack tomorrow, and we'll just toss the cube into lava. Sleep tight, intruders," he added in falsetto tones, hopping off the fountain and scurrying away down a passage.

"A r-rack. A f-freaking _rack," _Sima moaned, slumping against the wall and crying out as her head hit it with a loud _crack. _"Y'know, th-this is what happens wh-when I think of h-how I'm g-going to mess up sometime. N-now w-we're stuck in a c-cell and y-you're going to be killed... I'm s-such an _idiot," _she whispered, staring at the ceiling. Something small and black crawled out of one crack, scuttled a few centimetres and disappeared into another. Well. That just made her feel _so _much better.

"The rack can't be _too _bad." Easha tried to sugarcoat the situation.

"Y-you're a _cube_," Sima complained. "It's not b-bad for y-you. I'm s-so sorry, Easha... this is, this is all my fault... if I'd, if I'd just let you go get D-Delta and Lexi, then, then we wouldn't be i-in this mess... I'm s-such an _idiot."_

"You call yourself an idiot, human? Tell that to Hubert the Horrendous," a silverfish squawked as he ran past the cage, pointing to some ashes. "I've got to clean all of these morons up..."

Sima sighed. "Just some m-more crap I've, I've caused b-because I'm too, too _stupid _to listen t-to people. S-sorry about Hubert and, and things."

"And Jerry the Jocund, and Ferris the Forgetful, and Urkel the Unwise... yeah, you say you're sorry. But they deserved to die... too stupid to live. Anyway, looking forward to your screams of agony tomorrow. I wonder if it'll be the rack, or the cradle..." The silverfish went off, whistling as he scooped up ashes and took them out of the room.

Sima laughed weakly. "Y-your king said it'd be, it'd be the r-rack," she called after him, voice wobbling from the tears that were building up in her eyes. The rack. She'd heard of it from documentaries and things. It stretched a person until all their bones broke or they snapped in half or something, she knew.

"Easha, we're _so _dead."

"They didn't tie me down... if I could get this _stupid _anvil off... and besides, they aren't killing me. They just seem to really enjoy the idea of torturing _you_."

"Th-they said they'd throw you into, into, uh, lava... and h-how could we get the, uh, the anvil off? It looks like it, like it weighs an, uh, Imperial ton. Or a, a metric tonne. Whichever is b-bigger."

"Well, if you could use torque, force and momentum... you could theoretically push it to an angle where gravity would take over and bring the anvil down off of me," Easha explained. "Or, of course, we could just sit here and wait for them to put us on the rack, or flay us, or hang us, or whatever."

"I, I'll take the first option. E-Explain to m-me what to do again?"

If sentries had arms, Easha would've facepalmed.

"Just get up and try to knock it _off_," Easha explained, annoyed.

Sima looked down at her bound feet. "G-getting up could be a problem." The sentry wasn't even a metre away from her, though. She hesitated a moment before trying to push herself across with her hands, though she gasped and recoiled at the sting in them. Still cut from the gravel, coupled with silverfish spines, they felt like they were on fire. Biting her lip, not daring to use her hands again, Sima wriggled sideways until she was a bit closer to her sentry friend and swung around to face her. "O-okay, um..." She looked Easha up and down before rocking backwards and using the considerably less tender backs of her hands to support herself, fighting to heft her bound feet high enough that she could push against the anvil. There were her feet just before it, she pushed and-

Toppled over to lean very uncomfortably against the wall behind her.

Cursing under her breath, she forced herself upright and tried again. This time she managed to move the anvil a few centimetres before toppling over. Easha tried to help, attempting to hop and shifting the great construct back in the process. Little by little the anvil was forced backwards until-

_CLANG!_

It toppled off Easha and fell to the ground. Sima sighed in relief as Easha shook herself, eyeing the iron door. Sima caught her glowing blue gaze and glanced at the barrier.

"That will be our second problem," the sentry noted.

Just then, the silverfish returned, humming blatantly to himself.

"Easha... are you, uh, thinking what I-I'm thinking?" Sima whispered.

"You cannot be serious... do you think he's _that _stupid?"

"Well, we, we're about to f-find out." She smiled weakly. As the silverfish came back around the corner, Sima caught his attention. "Uh, hey! Hello! I, uh... I need to, uh, to tell you something. It's, it's really important. It's a, uh... a secret. About... about, uh, your king."

"Pfft, yeah... you just want to escape..."

"This anvil is _mighty _shiny," Easha muttered, gazing at the gleaming iron anvil. "It would be a shame if such pretty shine were to be wasted on prisoners..."

The silverfish seemed torn between attempting to take the shiny anvil and following orders. In the end, he capitulated with a scream of "IT IS PRETTY! GIVE IT TO ME, GIVE IT TO ME!"  
The door was unlocked in less than five seconds, and as the tiny insect rushed in to charge the anvil, Easha slipped out.

"Sima, what about-"

"I, I would just s-slow you down," she smiled weakly. "Go q-quick. Before the king gets back."

With a last glance back, Easha hopped away as the silverfish nibbled on the iron, proclaiming that it was the shiniest, most grandiose thing he had ever attempted to eat. It took him several moments to realize he had locked himself inside the cell.

"Ah, drat... I've been had," he cursed. "I suppose I've earned my name..."

"Oh, and th-that would be?"

"Dolan the Dimwitted. No surprises there..."

Easha was already out of earshot by then. She was racing out of the stronghold.

"Do not think that I will not come back for you, Sima," Easha muttered to herself, speeding down the passageways. Not far ahead she could detect a long, thin space, vibrant heat signatures all through it. It had to be the ravine. It had to be.

VVVVV

Lexi stared into the flames, her eyes glazed. "Bright... fire... burn... marshmallows..." she murmured as if in a trance. She was still engrossed in the flame when Delta returned, completely exhausted.

"Hey, Lexi? Where are- oh there you are," he called, spotting Lexi by the torch. "Where's Sima? I thought she was with you."

"Flames..." Lexi said dreamily. "Went looking for flames. Don't know where she went."

"You left her alone?" he asked, shocked. "What if she wanders off? To talk to mobs or something-"

As if on cue, something clip-clopped towards them in a fast pace, which turned out to be Easha the sentry, all alone.

"Hey... Easha?" asked Delta. The sentry jumped frantically. "You were with Sima. Where is she?"

Easha creaked, grated and hopped from side to side as though trying to convey some urgent information.

"Um... I can't understand sentries... can you, Lexi?"

She shook her head. "Herobrine doesn't deal with Aether stuff."

The sentry grated as though in exasperation, darted behind Delta and nudged him towards the mineshaft.

"Whoa, okay. So you know where Sima is?" he asked. She creaked again, bending her body slightly as though nodding, before jumping back in front of him. Looking back at him and Lexi, she almost appeared to beckon to them, blue spiral pulsing.

"Lead the way then, Easha," said Delta, unsheathing his sword just in case. "Come on, Lexi." She took out a pistol from her backpack and let it grow to full size in her hands.

"Think there'll be stuff I can shoot?"

The sentry just creaked, leading them into the darkness of a cave.

VVVVV

Sima felt hours pass, or perhaps they were eternities. Dolan the Dimwitted eventually worked out that he could slip through the iron bars that made up the front of the cell and scurried off, reluctant to tell the king that he'd let one of the prisoners escape. After that it was just boring; the occasional silverfish scuttled past and threw a comment such as "Do you scream good?" at her, but for the most part all she could do was stare at the wall opposite and talk to herself. She wondered if this was how Rapunzel had felt. Stuck in a tower for her childhood. At least she hadn't had the prospect of torture hanging over her head like a cloud of gloom.

She waited, wondering when her time would come. Maybe Easha would be able to rescue her in time. Probably not. "They couldn't find me in, in Swampheart, could they? When I was unconscious and, and I thought my friends would've, would've come..." She sighed, slumping back against the wall and closing her eyes.

There was some sort of commotion in the hall outside, however. She straightened up, eyes flying open, and rocked herself onto her knees to peer outside. The King of Silverfish was marching down a hallway towards the fountain room, followed by a long train of the spiny bugs. They shrieked and whooped and cheered excitedly, as many as a hundred following him along and hundreds more pouring down the other passages.

And then she saw the large contraption about twenty of them were dragging on long cords.

It was a rack.

"Th-that's a rack," she whispered, not wanting to believe it.

It was a rectangular wooden frame at a bit of an angle, a roller at each of its ends and in the middle. A few wooden planks were spread across its length and a wooden board was at its lower end as though to support someone's feet; the rack was held up by wooden supports and pulled in a rusty minecart. Either that was paint, or bloodstains.

"The time has come, my people! You have waited long enough for the screaming time!"

A collective cheer came up from the silverfish, who hauled the rack in further.

"Unfortunately, my people, we are short one prisoner... _yes, _I'm looking at _you_, Dolan. But we still have the flesh sack to torment!"

Another collective cheer, despite several of the silverfish exchanging nasty glances with Dolan.

"Bring the rack forward! Let _it _nibble on her flesh!"

The door to Sima's cell was opened by two of the silverfish wardens, and she was hauled out by a swarm of the tiny insects. Still bound, she was quite helpless as they managed to extract her from the cell, but failed to bring her up to the rack.

"Ah... that's... er... a bit of a problem. A minor oversight, yes," the silverfish king boasted, as they failed to lift Sima up to the rack. "Well, we'll just... um..."

Most of the silverfish were stumped; they were busy trying to figure out a way to lift the prisoner up to their torture device when a torch sailed through the air, from out of one of the dark corridors, and landed in the midst of them, lighting the wooden rack on fire as well as several of the skittering insects.

"Burn and blaze, destroy, consume! Your appetite becomes your doom," Lexi sang as one of the silverfish finally jumped into the fountain to quench the flames.

"No, _no, NO _you morons! FOR THE LAST TIME! JUMP INTO THE _WATER_!" the Silverfish King screamed, as his minions swarmed around the rack, burning. Sima herself was in danger of catching fire; several of the silverfish, in their desperation, had begun to chew on her clothes, trying to bite through to her flesh. She screamed and writhed, rolling over to shake them off and just managing to hurt herself on their surprisingly rigid spines, while squishing several under her body. "GET OFF! GET OFF!"

From out of the fog came Delta and Lexi, with torches lit and ready to fight. The silverfish could do so little; they nipped at the heels of the heroes, but ended up being either stepped on, burnt or tossed into the fountain to drown.

"Chew on them! Nibble their bones and chomp on their fleshiness!" the Silverfish King screamed, before Lexi's fist swung and knocked him off of his perch upon the rack. Delta, meanwhile, fought his way to Sima and started to cut her bonds.

"Sima, did they hurt you?" asked Delta.

"Uh... n-no," she lied as she could move her hands again, rubbing her wrists and wincing at her stinging palms. "J-just got cuts from, uh, from gravel."

"You look like you're in a bit of a bad state, Sima," Delta chuckled, helping her to her feet.

"Come on, let's get you up-and try not to step on any bugs on the way out."

"Th-that won't be hard," she replied, wobbling on her feet from the hours they'd spent bound. Easha came hopping towards her, careless of crushing the panicking silverfish, and nudged her leg. _"It is good to see you in one piece."_

"L-let's just get out of here," said Sima, eyeing the passage that Easha had come from.

"No you will _not!" _cried the Silverfish King, jumping up and down enragedly. "You will not defeat me, I am the Silverfish K-"

A boot came down hard and punted him into the fountain, where he landed with a splash.  
"I-I'm not _trying _to defeat anyone," Sima muttered, gently brushing silverfish aside with her boot as she worked her way towards the passage.

"You... will _pay_!" the King gargled, struggling to float in the fountain as his servants ran around, burning.

"Nibble them, minions! NIBBLE-"

"He's kinda cute, can we keep him?"

"Lexi, if you had your way, you'd keep all of them-"

Delta never finished his sentence, for Lexi, spurred on by the very idea, reached down and grabbed an armful of silverfish, and hugged them tightly. One managed to squeeze out, screaming "NO MORE, NO MORE! PLEASE, MERCY!" before sailing to the ground and scurrying away, scarred for life.

"Hugging always gets rid of them. Dunno why... but it's funny."

"Lexi, you could, you could defeat all of them by yourself if you w-wanted," Sima joked, now realising that she had the upper hand. All around her, the silverfish "army" broke apart, scattering in all directions, while their king, sopping wet, scrambled to bring them back together.

"Look! Soft flesh! CHEW ON IT! WHY WON'T YOU CHEW?"

But it was hopeless. Sima's wrists were chafed and bleeding, but she was alright; she had not been tortured to death, or thrown into lava, or eaten alive. Now she had the upper hand. Reaching down into the fountain, she grabbed the Silverfish King and extracted him.

"Well, well. Isn't, isn't this familiar? Have we b-been here before?" She really wished she hadn't ruined it with stammering.

"I do believe so. Your hands are still germy, and I'm still disgusted. But I stand defeated before you, now. _That _is the difference."

The Silverfish King looked around, glancing at all three humans and Easha.

"Beaten by three meatsacks and a stupid cube. How the silverfish bards will sing of my defeat this day... I will be relegated to the humorous songs that speak of the _bad _kings. Not the good ones, mind you."

Sima sighed. "C-cry me a, uh, river. Damn m-my stupid stammering..."

"I'd cry you a fountain, but my servants _still _wouldn't jump in it. Gah, if only things had gone the other way. I had looked forward to stretching you out and hearing your bones splinter." Sima winced at that. "But it looks like this is the fiery end for me," the King sighed, defeated.

"F-fiery?"

"Tradition has it that Silverfish kings, when defeated, are thrown into lava. Either that, or they are put on the rack. We like racks, as you can see."

"I, I don't do, uh, fiery deaths. Or, or racks." Gently she held him up to her face and smiled at him weakly.

"Are you extending to me the hand of mercy, two-legged freak? This is unexpected, indeed..."

Sima hesitated. "Y-yeah. I do... unexpected, uh, and mercy and stuff. It's kind of... my thing."

The Silverfish King seemed momentarily perplexed, until he realized what it meant.

"You give me a second lease on life... even when I wished to nibble and stretch you so many times? This is unheard of... you have granted me life, and for that, I am in your debt, disgusting biped. Now, please _put me down_..."

Sima's weak smile wobbled. She was exhausted, too tense, scared. And her hands stung.

"Sure. Y-Your Highness," she said, placing him very gently on her palm, crouching and allowing him to crawl onto the floor. "I, I hope your kingdom goes well and... uh, stuff."

"For allowing me to live, human, you have earned what little gratitude I can spare for your... disgusting... race. I will allow you free entry and leave for my kingdom... what's left of it that is. Even Karl the Kold died... and his last name wasn't even a real adjective..."

"S-sorry. Is there a-anything I can d-do to help?"

"Short of repopulating my kingdom and putting _yourself _on the rack, no. But I thank you for sparing my life, at the least."

"I d-don't like killing things. I'd... I'd appreciate it if you, uh, got rid of the rack, th-though." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder at it.

"Well... ok. But can we at _least _keep the iron maiden? It's the perfect size for you, would you like to try it out?" the King asked, hoping to trick Sima.

"N-no thanks," she grinned, trying not to let her lips wobble again. "Th-thank you for... um... uh... well, I'm sure that there's, uh, there's something I can th-thank you, uh, for. Sometime. E-eventually. Bye, Your Majesty," she added, turning and attempting to stride down the hallway.

"Well... er... come back sometime?" the King spoke his last words, before several of his people returned and he gave his attention back to them.

Easha, Delta and Lexi followed Sima with respective exasperation, bewilderment and reluctance. The girl managed to keep up her confident stride until she rounded a corner, stumbled and leaned against a wall for support, giddy laughter bubbling in her throat and tears in her eyes.

"O-oh man. O-oh god. I-I'm going t-to die f-from that sometime. I-I'm going to die."

"Sima, are you _insane?" _Delta asked, bemused. "You're just going to let him walk away? What if he comes back and tries to attack you?"

"I-I'll take m-my chances," she giggled, hysterical. "A-again and a-again and again. Until the w-world realises that m-mercy is a thing I-I do and, and everyone should do. And I-I'm going to die from it." She burst into laughter again, fat tears dripping one by one to the stone brick below.

Lexi stared at Sima, slightly concerned. "I think we broke her."

_"I would not be surprised," _Easha agreed, nudging Sima's leg. _"Come now, girl. Let's get you back."_

VVVVV

The orders were clear; they were to do what the Endermen and Sliders had failed to do. They had the weapons, the gear, the numbers.

"Leave no one alive-kill _all_ of them, including the animals. I don't care how you do it, but I want it _done_," Mina Wycokrwyz ordered, punctuating every word to ensure that her captain understood.

The Black Ward team stood ready to enter the prison world, ready to do what the previous mobs could not.

"Sounds like a job for us, ma'am. Mobs aren't made for this kind of work..."

"Excuse me? I believe that mobs are _perfect_ for this," the Creeper King argued, but Mina silenced him, and let her captain speak.

"Takeout jobs are our specialty... '_Your Highness_'. Leave the dirty work to us, we'll get it done-"

"Or die trying," Mina reminded them.

"One or the other. Are we set to go?"

The black ops team had all they needed-guns, gear, interrogation instruments, explosives. They were ready to dispatch the heroes.

"You're set to go. Come back with their heads, or don't come back at all."


	8. Backs to the Wall

**A/N: Exb: Greetings, internet! Supreme overlord here!**

**HPE24: ME SECOND PLACE :DDD**

**Exb: USE CORRECT ENGLISH :P**

**HPE24: I was jooooking.**

**Exb: XD I am aware. Don't worry. YOUR ENGLISH SKILLS ARE SUPERB.**

**HPE24: DANKE! :D**

**Exb: And ironically, that was German. ANYWAYS, on to the others. This is going to be a fun chapter :3 I say that a lot, but this time is REALLY true ._.**

**Flu: Yes, you know it's epic because Exb wrote most of it! :D And yes. Um. OHYES someone last chapter asked me if I read other stories. I do, but I'm lazy. :D Any good stories to recommend to me? RECOMMEND THEM. Or to any of us. I dunnoooo.**

**HPE24: XD Yeah, go ahead! I LURV READING**

**Lexi: To the person who said stuff about Nazis: Dummkopf. Got a problem against Germany? MEDIC!**

**Medic: *holds up Bonesaw* Ja?**

**Exb: And to all flamers: your comments are appreciated...IN HELL. If you can't be nice and civilized about it, don't say anything. Seriously. If you have an actual complaint or issue, bring it up kindly. Otherwise, please, get lost. Your raging is not welcome here.**

**HPE24: Thank you Exb. THANKS. And what was I going to say... um... OH YES. Fun fact from previous chapter! The name of the Enderman Procerus comes from the Latin word procerus, meaning tall. Get it? *wink wink* **

**Exb: **_**I **_**didn't know that. Well then. ._.**

**Lexi: Stop flaming, or I'll shove this Medigun so far up your *bleep* you'll uber yourself.**

**Exb: And with that lovely image, enjoy the chapter!**

**(Kat: THEY DID IT WITHOUT ME. AGAIN. What torture do you readers suggest I do to them?)**

Leon had never milked a cow before, but the animal stood rather still as the white liquid was collected inside of the bucket. A full bucket should've been enough for Aura...

"Ya know, you're not half bad, for a human," the cave spider ranted on, hanging upside down on a pillar of stone. "My Ender lady says that you're a bonehead, and the Listener says that you're a 'big meanie', but you seem quite nice. Going all of this way just to milk a cow..."

"I agreed to do it," Leon grunted, hoisting the bucket up. "Just because I knew how bad one of _your _bites are. I've suffered one myself," he scowled.

"We never meant to bite you," the spider argued. "You just scared poor Tim, and his response was to bite. Granted, some of us are a bit more aggressive... but I'm not one of them. Neither was Tim."

"Yeah, well the hell with Tim. He nearly killed me..."

The air seemed to explode with the roar of the sniper rifle, even if it was far away. The bullet was too far above the spider, and it tore through his strand of sticky web instead, dropping him fifteen feet to the sandy riverbank below.

"SHIT, you've gotta be joking... another one?" Leon cursed, ducking behind the pillar as another bullet smashed into the side of the rock and left a remarkable dent.

"He broke my string-"

"He'll break more than that if he sights you," Leon warned, as more bullets hit the pillar. Then silence.

The silence was nearly unbearable; Leon couldn't be sure if the sniper had disappeared, or was simply waiting for one of the two to poke their head out and see what they could see...

Evening was falling. If he didn't get back to the cave soon, he would be left out at night. He had to take a chance, stick his head out only a fraction of an inch...

It was clear enough for the sniper to see, but no bullets rang out. Silence again; Leon gave him a clearer shot, and still nothing.

"Is he..."

"Gone? Yes, for now... he would've taken a shot by now if he were still there. I dunno what happened," Leon mused, picking up the milk pail. "But we need to get back home. And fast."

"I can run fast... if you let me bring the news to them-"

"Do it," Leon answered the spider. "And tell them there's more trouble on the way. I fear that this has just begun..."

VVVVV

"Let's see... Delta, how much obsidian did you grab?" Aura asked, taking a look inside of the chest where the precious black stone had been stored.

"Enough, I think. For a Nether portal."

"It looks like we have enough, you can count them," the Endergirl said.

Sima was sitting down by the fire, hungry. She had only water to drink from a bucket; Lexi had said that she needed a bit of a drink, after her hilarious, ridiculous ordeal down in the stronghold. She felt better now; less woozy, more apt to think and make clear decisions. She still remembered the entire experience clearly; part of her wanted to laugh, part of her wanted to cry-she wasn't sure how she felt. It was amazing what a few hours as a captive could do to you.

"Well, do you want to get it established?" Aura asked, handing several of the heavy black blocks to Delta.

"Well, I'll... uh...try, I guess. It's not easy work... I'll need to haul the blocks into position..."

One by one, Delta set down the massive obsidian stones, making sure to follow the correct blueprint for a Nether portal. Lexi and Aura sat down by Sima, who was finishing up her drink.

"Better, Sima?" Lexi asked. "Do you need some more water? I'll go down to the ravine and get you some-"

"No, no, it's f-fine...really, t-thanks," Sima managed a weak smile.

"You need to get your strength back, Sima," Aura cautioned her. "A stay like that in the dank dungeons won't do much good for your health."

"Thanks for the c-concern, Aura," Sima smiled again. "But I, I think I'll m-manage just fine."

"If you say so," Aura said, in one of those pointed I-told-you-so voices. But Sima ignored her, and continued to warm herself by the fire. The house was more homely now, with its wooden floor and now a front door. If they could find enough sheep, they could convert part of the floor into woolen carpet, and make the walls out of wood.

"What do we need from the Nether, anyway?" Delta asked nobody in particular.

"Glowstone and blaze rods to be certain. Wither skulls, ghast tears and netherrack couldn't hurt either," Aura answered, sharpening an arrow.

"And maybe soul sand," Lexi chimed in.

"I never liked the look of soul sand. It always struck me as rather creepy..."

Just as Lexi was about to reply again, there came some sort of strange knock at the door-not that of a fist rapping on the wooden frame, but something softer and more awkward.

"That... doesn't sound like anyone we know," Aura warned, standing up from the fire. The knock came again, the same as the previous one. She opened the door to let the sweating, panting cave spider stumble into the cave.

"Cave spider? What the hell is wrong with _you_-"

Exhausted, and short of breath, the arachnid shared his story of the ambush down by the river, the attack by the sniper, and Leon's fear of more coming.

"More of those Black Ward?" Lexi asked, finally grasping the seriousness of it. Sima was even worse; her face was the color of cold oatmeal, paler than a sheet almost.

"Leon said there'd be more. And I don't think he was joking," the spider spoke, collapsing onto the floor. "He will... be back... soon..."

Aura's eyes hardened. "Black Ward... those who Leon said killed my people," she hissed. "I'll make them all suffer painfully. Kill every single one of them, as they did to the Enderpeople." She gripped her bow tightly.

"Those were the, uh, the humans who slew your race, right?" Sima asked.

"Yes, they were... the men in black, with their fire and water and bullets... I want to tear their intestines out and, and-"

Before Aura could finish describing the brutal (and rather graphic) process she would submit the soldiers to, Leon burst into the door, carrying a pail of milk and sweating heavily.

"Milk here... and soldiers... incoming..."

"The spider already warned us," Delta said, setting the last blocks atop the Nether portal. "What do you make of it, Leon?"

"What do _I _make of it? Well, I make out that we're probably _fucked_, is what."

Lexi struck a flint and steel in the portal frame and watched purple goop fill it. Then stupidly jumped in.

"LEXI! LEXI! Goddamnit!" Aura cried, trying vainly to reach for the girl before she disappeared. It was too late.

"The Black Ward is coming. I'd say there'll be at least two squads, so that equates to about thirty men... maybe more, I don't know. As I ran back up here, I saw several emerge from the forest. They've got heavy weapons," Leon informed the others.

"Like what you have?" Delta asked, ignoring Lexi's sudden rush into the portal.

"And bigger. We'll never stand a chance here. Not with our backs to the wall."

Leon knew this was nothing like they'd ever faced before; the Black Ward were an elite group, warriors and cold blooded killers who relished the warmth of blood and the pain they caused. Sliders and Endermen had nothing on them; with their modern weapons, and their coordination and training, the Ward would wipe out the little group within a few minutes, especially as cornered as they were.

"You're saying we can't hold out here or go out after them?" Delta asked.

"Going out after them would be the equivalent of suicide. And we can't hold our ground here, they'd toss grenades in and that would be the end of it."

Sima listened intently, frightened. Even Aura was scared; her alien memories of the genocide caused by the Ward were streaming back to her, coming from the dark dreams she had seen.

"What about retreating into the ravine?" Aura considered.

"They'd hunt us down, corner us and enjoy the hunt. There's only one way we can go now." Leon pointed to the portal.

"You, you can't be s-serious," Sima whispered, her eyes wide and terrified. "C-can't we just, just talk to them?"

"They'd rather hear you scream than try to surrender. They're cold-blooded killers... and none of them would think twice about taking advantage of any of you."

Leon's words had struck home; it would be foolish to stay in the Overworld, with the enemy that they were facing now. Leon had only one idea that would allow the others to get to safety.

"You two, follow Lexi through the portal."

"Are you insane, Leon? They'll hunt _us _down then-"

"We can buy you some time, and retreat only when absolutely necessary. Take Sima, and _go_," Leon commanded, taking up the sniper rifle that had been sitting in the corner for the past couple of days.

"They'll kill you, Leon-"

"I'm not about to die today. I survived the apocalypse, kid, and I can sure as hell survive these guys. Take Sima, grab the cube, and _go_!" Leon barked at the Endergirl, who was momentarily taken aback.

"_My kind has no place in the Nether,"_ Easha muttered. _"I can hide if necessary..."_

Lexi's head poked through the portal. "How 'bout we _all_ go, and disable the portal from the side without people wanting to kill us."

"I don't think we'll have enough time, if we do this," Leon warned. "Just _go_! Delta and I can buy you some time! Once we're in the Nether, they won't have much of a chance of tracking us!"

Lexi could see the loopholes in the plan, the problems it brought, but nevertheless, she returned to the other dimension, just as Aura swooped down on Sima, picked her up, and hauled her through the portal. The cave spider had already returned to its home-Easha was sitting in the corner, frightened.

"Aura!" Leon shouted before the Endergirl disappeared. He handed her the pail of milk.

"I... er... thanks..."

Leon could've sworn that Aura was blushing in embarrassment before she disappeared into the thick purple slime, but he wasn't concerned about that.

_She's probably never said thank you in her life. Well, there's a first time for everything. Speaking of first times..._

"Delta, you ever held a gun?"

"A what?"

"Well, time for one vicious learning curve," Leon smiled, as shouts and barked orders could be heard from outside. "Take my rifle, hold it steady-"

Delta held it as awkwardly as possible. "I think I'm better off with geokinesis, thanks..."

"Well, hold onto the gun. It might be more useful than giant balls of rock and earth."

Delta set it aside, however, feeling uncomfortable with the weapon as the front part of the cave burst into rubble from the force of an explosion. Leon had only enough time to glimpse a helicopter swoop by, having made a run on the front door and blew the cave clear open.

"Well, this makes our job a lot easier. Try to kill as many as you can, ok?" Leon smirked, taking his sniper rifle and rushing to the new aperture in the cave wall. What he saw outside made him think twice about survival.

"On second thoughts, that portal sounds much more likely to not get us killed," Lexi announced from out of nowhere, leaping out of the portal and grabbing the two men by the scruffs of their necks.

"Lexi, let go!" Delta ordered, but the insane girl would have none of it.

"I plan on living today. Into the Nether we go!"

The purplish goop surrounded Leon, a thousand whispering screams raged inside his skull...

And then he was somewhere new. The landscape was familiar, but the area was completely new to him. He had been to the Nether; but this was a different Nether. It did not look quite the same, although lava was a common sight here.

"Aura and Sima went a bit farther ahead, Aura thought she spied a Nether fortress. If we're lucky, we can get glowstone _and _blaze rods in one go!" Lexi announced, excited.

"I think that getting resources is the _least _of our problems, Lexi," Delta warned.

"They'll be coming through soon. Any ideas for a trap of sorts?" Leon asked the others. "We don't have much time, so-"

Lexi set her flint and steel to the ground, and the reddish rock immediately leapt into flame. The fires licked the portal's frame, but did not sear the obsidian.

"Well, that'll do the trick," Leon mused.

"It'll be just like baking cookies! Only we're baking people!" Lexi cheered, and began to run off into the red haze of the Nether, singing. "London bridge is burning down, burning down, burning down, London bridge is burning down, my dead lady..."

"You know they'll keep pursuing us, right Leon?" Delta asked darkly.

"They will. Once we get back together, I'll get a plan set up. We'll need one..."

"But first of all, we need to get rid of that portal," announced Delta. "I'll see if I can control these." He placed his palm on the black surface, willing one of the blocks to tumble away from its spot. Even after half a minute, the obsidians refused to budge.

"Didn't work out that well, did it?" said Leon as Delta glared at the frame.

"It's solid," he complained. "Just lava that cooled down and became part of the earth. This is SO unfair."

Just then, the portal opened once more, and two soldiers stumbled out of it, right into the flames. Their clothing and armor, though bulletproof, was not flame-retardant. For the first time, Delta actually got a good look at the Black Ward soldiers.

They wore _entirely _black; not gothic black, but military black. Armor, knee pads, elbow pads, helmet with visor, balaclava, everything black-even their assault rifles. Yet they burned like normal people, as two more of their comrades came through, saw the flames, and rushed back to the Overworld in a hurry.

"I could just use the diamond pick to break-"

"We don't have that kind of time, Delta, we've got to get out of here..."

The men were dying, crumpling into the flames as they were consumed by the fire. Delta, without another look back, ran away from the portal, followed closely behind by Leon.

VVVVV

Aura stopped, allowing Sima to catch up. "Aura, do you always have to walk so- wow." Aura nodded, staring up at the structure before them. It was made of a dark maroon stone, standing out from a massive lake of lava like a hellish fortress. A bridge touched the netherrack before the two, a small archway leading into darkness. Staring across the buildings, Aura thought she could see the flickering of small fires on an open part of the fortress. Blaze spawners.

Behind them, Leon and Delta had almost caught up, sprinting most of the way. Aura realized that she had been trying to allow Sima to at least stay in sight, and had been slower than usual.

"Are you s-sure this is s-safe, Aura?" Sima asked, nervously. "I, I don't know if I 'd rather face h-humans or blazes."

"I'd rather be up against blazes than those armored bastards," Aura cursed. "Of course, I'll face them head on if I have to..."

"That would not, not be very w-wise," Sima smiled weakly. "P-perhaps you should let Leon f-figure this out?"

"Why him? I don't have too much reason to trust him..."

"He knows these, these guys better than you, Aura," Sima explained. "He's actually been in, in close contact with them, so he s-says. I think it is, is best to leave the decision m-making up to him this time."

Leon, out of breath, arrived after Delta, and the group of five gathered in the middle of the entryway to the fortress.

"There are more on their way. At least fifty, maybe even more. I didn't count them earlier," Leon announced. "We're not going to be able to fight them head-on."

"So we're taking the coward's way out, are we?" Aura asked, disappointed and angry. "You were able to face one earlier-"

"That was _one_, Aura. One... now there's several dozen. If we try to fight them in an open battle, we won't stand a chance. We'll need to use the fortress to our advantage."

"Why fight them at all? Can't we just... evade them and head back?" Lexi suggested. "I'm too hungry to fight right now."

"If we run, they'll follow us... we'll have to fight."

"Why fight when you can run? And why run when you can hide?"

"Neither of those will do us _any _good at all. If we do either, they'll catch us eventually... I have an idea that might help us."

"Oh boy, the _general _has an idea. I wonder what it could be," Aura sneered sarcastically.

"There are blaze spawners here, right?" Leon pointed up to the flickering flames in one of the towers. "Blaze rods... they can be used as arrows, if you work with them a little bit, right?"

"I guess so... where are you going with this, Leon?" Aura asked, suspicious.

"Delta, you can take on blazes. If we get enough rods, and notch them a bit, they're essentially fire arrows-for Aura. Aura, with her bow, can take one of the towers and provide sniper fire. I can do the same with my sniper rifle, Sima can... I dunno, hide, and Lexi... I've got something you're going to _love_."

"It's not cookies, is it?" Lexi asked, reminiscent of a small puppy.

"Inside of those men, lies a cookie where their hearts should be. You'll have to rip it out of their chests, but... you'll find a red, pulsating cookie. With... I dunno, _chocolate chips_."

"Hearts aren't cookies. And they're yucky to eat. If you wanted me to distract them, you could've just said."

"Just... try not to get shot. If you get shot, you don't get cookies."

"I WON'T GET SHOT!" Lexi promised, before running back out onto the field of Netherrack, swinging a sword and yelling.

"She'll get herself killed, probably," Aura scoffed. "If Delta can provide me with blaze rods, I'll shoot down every one of those bastards I see," she promised.

"Stay out of the actual fighting. They're well-trained, and their reflexes are honed to a razor's edge. Just don't teleport into the fray..."

"Right... try not to let them get too close, alright? And don't steal my kills," Aura growled.  
"As long as we work as a team, we should be able to keep them at bay. Now _go_," Leon ordered, and the Endergirl teleported to the nearest turret.

"I never fought any blazes," admitted Delta, swinging his sword lightly. "But I'll give my best shot." With that, he approached the nearby spawner, waiting for any monster to rise out of the cage. Fire began licking the sides of the cage, and a blaze erupted from behind it. Sword ready, Delta swung at it, but it swerved upwards, out of his reach. Growling, Delta jumped onto the cage and leaped at it, bringing the blaze down with him. The blaze crashed on the ground, and some of the yellow rods spun out of their usual path, clattering on the floor. Delta quickly brought his blade down to the blaze's yellow head, ending its life.

"Hmm... two rods?" he muttered, inspecting them. "How many rods do they drop anyway?" Turning around, he was met face to face with another blaze, who bore down upon him with its jaw unhinged. He leapt out just in time as a fiery projectile sailed towards his direction, followed by a couple more.

"Oh great, they shoot fireballs," he cursed to himself. The blaze reared a bit, letting out a metallic screech. After a brief span of seconds, the monster started firing three balls at Delta whilst the body blazed with fire.

As Delta kept dodging the blaze, he noticed a pattern on how it attacked. There was a short period of time where the blaze seemed to stop attacking after three sets of fire charges. It just shot out the third bomb which completely missed Delta, ricocheting off to the ceiling. The creature blinked slowly, waiting for the cooldown period to end when a swishing sound came down somewhere around it. It froze, and half of its head slowly slid down from the other half, hitting the floor. As the beast crumpled, Delta landed behind it, casually getting up and sheathing his sword back in, collecting his prize.

VVVVV

Leon's first sign of his approaching foe was a bullet glancing off of the stone two inches from his cheek and shattering parts of the brick. He felt the sharp chunks sting his flesh, and out of reflex drew back into cover. He could hear the same thing happen above; a bullet hit the turret that Aura was in, and he heard a muttered oath.

The Endergirl teleported right beside him, holding her right hand.

"One of those bullets... nicked me, barely... is it bad?" she asked, holding out her hand. Some of the white flesh had been shorn off, but she was lucky that the bullet had not cloven her hand clean off.

"Not bad, you'll live. Stay down, their range is greater than yours," Leon warned, and she teleported back up into the tower.

_They're using the same kind of sniper rifle I am. Well, two can play that damn game_, Leon thought. He scoped in with his rifle, and was able to pick out several forms moving through the red gloom.

Leon fired once, and one of the armored men fell to the ground. His comrades immediately scurried for cover, strafing to keep from getting hit.

_They're well trained. They don't stand there like a bunch of slack-jawed idiots... this won't be easy._

Leon heard a muffled twang from above, and saw the arrow fly through the air. He did not see where it landed, but the hot wind of the Nether carried a distant scream of pain before several more rounds hit the brick around Leon, forcing him to draw back even further into the protected corridor and hunker down.

"Aura, stay do-"

The bullet seared through his left leg, bringing with it a burning pain hotter than anything the Nether could provide. He knew the injury, though not life-threatening, was bad; Leon dared to glance down, and was disgusted by what he saw. The bullet had torn through his shin, shattering the bone and exposing the dark muscle and nerve beneath. He would not bleed to death, unless he waited forever; but the pain was intense, a blossoming flower than blurred his vision and forced him to slump against the warm brick wall. From above him he heard a cry of fury, and another arrow shot into the distance.

"Delta, hurry up!" Aura cried, as another scream of pain could be heard. "I'm out of normal arrows!" Then another scream of pain, but this one more feminine and high-pitched; Leon knew what had happened. As he lay on the ground, clutching his leg as blood pooled on the floor, he saw the small shape running through the fog, that of Lexi.

She had been hit as well; it was not fatal, but her shoulder was mangled pretty badly by the bullet, and she would be lucky if it was just dislocated. Arms probably weren't meant to bend that way. Another enraged yell from above, and Aura teleported to the girl, caught her up, and then teleported out of sight once more.

Leon forced himself to get up and try to reach the tower; he had no idea how badly Lexi was wounded, but he needed to see for himself.

Gasping for breath, and feeling warm blood running profusely down his leg, he dashed out of the corridor and up the stairs, laboring to go up three stories. When he finally reached the turret, he saw Lexi standing, but blood staining her yellow raincoat at the shoulder.

"Distractions are hard when they have bulletproof armor," she complained as Aura tried to tend to the wound.

"Leon, is she going to be okay?" Aura asked, sounding frightened for the first time.

"She looks like she'll live... she will bleed, but if we put pressure on the wound, it won't be even close to fatal," he examined her carefully.

"Got a bandage?" she asked, peering out the turret window at the approaching soldiers.

"I don't have any medical supplies. Just put _pressure _on her shoulder, no matter how much it hurts her." Leon tore off one of the sleeves from his shirt, and handed it to Aura. "Use it as a makeshift bandage, I suppose." He took the other sleeve and began to dress his shin.

Nodding, Aura scrunched the cloth into a wad, and muttering to Lexi that she'd get cookies if she stayed still, pressed it lightly on the wound.

"Keep it on there. I'll keep the fire up... damn, where is Delta with those blaze rods?" Leon wondered aloud, as he positioned the rifle up on the banister of the tower and aimed down.

The soldiers were already approaching the fortress in loose groups, kept covered by the snipers behind them. Leon was able to pick two of them off before sniper fire drove him to take better cover behind the solid, lower area of the tower.

"The sleeve is getting all bloody," Aura announced, holding the cloth down as Lexi held back her whimpering by biting her sleeve. "And Lexi's in pain-"

"Just keep it steady, keep it steady... I need to get back down to the main hall, try to throw them back... keep Lexi safe, alright?"

With those last words, Leon began to limp back down the stairs, trying his hardest to ignore the throbbing flesh wound. But he held up for a moment when he heard voices below.

"Ow. Hurts. Potion. Backpack. Three. Insta-health." Nodding, Aura took out one and splashed it over Lexi's shoulder.

"Thanks. Better now. Rifle in backpack too if you want one. Note to self, don't try using rifle again, must not shoot self in shoulder."

Aura wasn't listening, she was digging through Lexi's pack. "Lexi, do you think you could get a potion to Leon? And why didn't you mention these before?"

"Uh... I forgot about them." Lexi grabbed a bottle and made her way over to Leon, dumping its contents on his shin.

Immediately, the skin healed and regrew over the wound, and the bleeding stopped.

"That would've been really quite useful earlier... but thanks for bringing it, anyway," Leon thanked her, before kneeling at the top of the steps. Before Aura could ask what he was doing, one of the Black Ward soldiers dashed up the stairwell, aiming his rifle directly at Aura. He didn't even have a second to pull the trigger; Leon's rifle roared, and the blast knocked the black ops soldier off of the tower, sending him flying off of the banister and down to the lava below. Aura realised what was happening as her ears began to cease their ringing.

"Leon, we're-"

"In a bit of a shitty situation, yes. They're coming up the tower."

VVVVV

Delta had more than twenty blaze rods in his pack-enough to keep Aura satisfied for at least a little while. The blazes would keep coming, but as long as he ran away and was ready for them, when he came back, they shouldn't pose much of a problem.

Stuffing the rods into his pack, he ran back down the stairs, desperate to reach Aura's tower. Sima seemed to have disappeared, run off to a safer area.

Delta dashed down the steps, and ran right into the soldier. His sword, luckily, had been pointed straight ahead, and he speared the unlucky man right through the chest. But the second soldier was ready; his weapon, a close-quarters assault shotgun, had already been raised and prepared for someone around the bend. Delta didn't really feel the flesh tearing out, his major organs rupturing, bones splintering as slugs tore through them. But he felt himself land on the stairs hard, felt his breath begin to go out, and felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, fighting to live and breathe...

What he didn't hear were the cries of the second soldier, two bullets right in his chest, and Leon's footsteps as he ran down the stairs.

"Aw, shit, don't be dead..."

Delta felt himself hauled up onto Leon's shoulders, heard more bullets fly past as the familiar sound of a teleporting Enderman was heard from beside him.

Lexi grabbed her backpack and went to investigate. "This probably isn't good..." She uncorked the last potion and poured it over Delta. "That's the last one. Should pack more next time."

Aura, seeing the discarded blaze rods on the ground, piled them into her quiver, grabbed Delta's sword and ran up the stairs.

"There might not be a next time, Lexi," Leon warned.

"Got more obsidian? Or if there's no one guarding the portal, could get out that way."

"They keep streaming from that way," Leon pointed out as Delta shuddered, rolled over, and heaved onto the floor. "There's more coming-to go out there would be sheer madness..."

"Retreat further back, perhaps?" Delta weakly suggested. "We can give them some leeway, slip back and try to find Sima while we hold out..."

Lexi shrugged and stared at the ceiling. "Hey boss? Now would be a good time to help. You're supposed to be Lord of the Nether and stuff. Even if this is another dimension."

Ignoring them all, Aura was cutting notches into the rods, shooting them with cold fury. Every time she let go of the string, a cry of pain was heard. Leon, using his assault rifle, was now cutting down any man he saw. Bullets bounced off of the brickwork around them, but their accuracy was lacking.

Leon was now dry on bullets; he felled one last Black Ward soldier, before realizing he was completely out of ammo. Aura loosed another arrow, reached down for more, and found nothing.

"Shit, no more arrows-"

"I'm out of ammo, too. I should've brought another magazine..."

Their most desperate hour had come; Delta was still recovering from his injury and sudden revival, sitting on the ground.

Leon stared in horror at the oncoming army, slowly realising there was nothing they could do to stop them. Even Sima would be... _Sima._

Barking at the others to stay up here, Leon grabbed Delta's sword from the ground, which was dropped by Aura, and hurried down the stairs. He knew the sword would be of little use, especially with his skill with the weapon, or lack thereof. Even so, he jumped the last few steps, risking a glance at the entrance to the fortress. Several of the Black Ward were crossing the bridge, and spotted him. Looking desperately around, Leon saw the some of the ceiling break off into the pink stone of the Nether and gravel. Grinning despite himself, he stabbed into the gravel, and it fell down as a big heap. Running back, he surveyed his work; a thick wall of the stuff separated him from the Ward, though not for long, he guessed.

Hurrying onwards, he yelled out for Sima.

"H-here!" Came a hesitant voice, left and a little further on from Leon. Stumbling on the smooth Nether brick, Sima appeared from a small room connected to the main hall. "Good hiding spot," Leon muttered, his words drowning in sarcasm. Sima blushed, saying that she preferred to stay near him and the others.

"Never mind that," Leon growled. "Can you talk to Nether mobs?"

Sima shrugged. "I've, uh, I've never tried."

Leon sighed. "Can you try and get their help?" Sima nodded, face pale, and rushed down the hall. Hoping beside anything his plan would work, only to stand face-to face with a heap of the Black Ward. They hadn't expected him, and Leon took the few seconds for them to raise their guns, running up some stairs nearby. Their boots thudded on the brick behind him, but he turned and twisted around constantly, so they could never get a clear shot. Within time he broke out into open space. Lava bubbled below, and the next building was about fifty metres away. Beside that, there were about twenty blazes flying around, and they all turned to Leon.

"Fuck," he growled, and ran between two of them, sprinting as fast as he could. It wasn't fast enough, perhaps six fireballs raced after him, one nearly hitting his shoulder; he could feel the heat of the fire. The shockwave sent him flying into the building wall, and he spun around, Delta's sword in his hand. About fifteen had their backs to him, and the rest were turning as the Black Ward soldiers ran out into the open. Being closer to the Blazes that Leon, the fiery creatures automatically targeted them. The Black Ward thought fast, rolling out of the way of almost sixty balls of fire and firing a few shots at their attackers before at yelled commands they ran for cover in the fortress. The fiery guardians of the place, however, were just as agile, if not more, smoky bodies enveloping the bullets that didn't miss. Although they distracted the soldiers for some time, the elites were able to get a grip on the situation, and before long had the blaze problem well under control, knocking out any of the fiery demons who dared to appear. Leon cursed his luck, and began to run, hoping that the Ward would be distracted with the blazes for just a bit longer...

VVVVV

Aura tapped her bow on the brick, pressed up against a corner of the turret. The Ward had figured out where they were, and bullets bounced off the outer wall, slowly damaging it.

"Where's Leon?" groaned Delta, gently propping himself up on an elbow.

"Maybe he's talking to my boss," muttered Lexi.

"I hope he hurries back. I hope he actually had a plan, and wasn't running away."

"Aura, you should know by now he wouldn't do that." Delta was interrupted by Lexi's surprised yell (it definitely wasn't screaming, what are you talking about? hehe), and she struck forward, stabbing the Black Ward soldier in the heart.

"They're coming up!" Aura scrambled around, looking for a weapon. Lexi's bag, tossed on the ground when looking for potions, hung open. A small handgun had half fallen out of the bag.

"Lexi, how do I use this thing?" asked Aura, holding it hesitantly.

Lexi leaped forward, pointing at the trigger. "Pull that, and _bang_!" As she said this, she pushed the trigger slightly, and nearly blew off Aura's head.

"OK then," Aura whispered, pointing the barrel at the staircase.

"Aura, you're not really going to use th-" Delta cut off as another soldier came into vision, then fell back, a bullet lodged in his chest. The next soldier was more cautious, and came around swiftly, gun already raised. But Aura was faster, and he too died. The recoil was powerful-but Aura was able to handle it well enough.

"They know our strategy now. Can't keep this up for much longer," Aura moaned, as another soldier was hit in the chest and fell back, injured but alive.

Suddenly, from below came horrified screaming and the sound of... pigs? Hundreds of the strangest creatures began to mill from inside the fortress, like upright pigs, though their bodies had begun to rot, and they carried golden swords in their hands.

"Hey, pigman army. Thanks boss!" Lexi poked her head over the railings.

Delta stared in utter amazement at the army, which ran at the Ward, each one that was shot down replaced by dozens more. they kept on coming, overrunning and tearing apart those were stupid enough to stand their ground, and forcing the others to retreat this was not the end of their surprise. Behind the pigmen, yelling encouragement, came Sima, her desperate and determined face just visible to Delta.

"G-go on, my friends! Save, save my real friends!" Sima cried at them, driving them on like some sort of cowgirl. The pigmen, out of fury, charged forward blindly, streaming out of the fortress and onto the plain of Netherrack ahead of them. No more Ward soldiers were visible; they had all retreated, firing back at the horde as they ran.

Delta stared, telling Aura what was happening when she asked, she couldn't turn away from the stairs.

Yelling came from directly beneath the turret. Squeals of the Pigmen were added to by a yell from a familiar voice. Knocking aside the last soldier, Leon ran into the room, nearly getting shot by a surprised Aura. Taking the gun from the endergirl, he gave her a large handful of Blaze rods.

"Apparently the Pigmen use these as arrows too." Nodding, Aura returned to the window, shooting the now far away Black Ward.

"I can barely see them in this fog. I'll try and find somewhere else to shoot from." And she teleported away.

Lexi stood up, cradling her blood soaked sword. "I'm off to get those cookies!"

"Remember, the pigmen don't have cookies," yelled Delta as she ran off.

VVVVV

Within about twenty minutes, the entire Black Ward had been pushed away or killed, and Sima, Lexi and Aura returned, accompanied by a lone Pigman.

"Er... who's that?" asked Leon uncertainly.

"_I am the King of Pigmen." _Remembering Leon could not hear him, Sima translated.

"_When the black creatures began to flood into my realm, my people wanted to rid of them, but I was cautious. It was not until Sima here came to tell me of your danger did I issue the command. I understand full well the care between friends, my race is protective of one another. Know that whatever feuds you have with the black creatures lies in the Overworld only, and will not put you in danger here." _"Wow... thanks," said Delta.

"Sorry for your losses, Sire," murmured Lexi.

Gunfire was still audible from far out, back towards the portal. They all knew that the Black Ward would still be at home when they returned; they would not give up so easily. They would play the waiting game now.

"_We lost few for an enemy so powerful. And for your assistance in driving out the intruders, we thank you... humans."_

"It wasn't, wasn't too much of a problem... especially with Lexi's healing potions..." Sima tried not to think of the outcome that would've resulted had they not brought the potions along. Delta would have certainly been dead.

"_I do not wish to rush you back home, but the longer you stay in one spot, the more risk you put yourselves in. I would be gone from this place-they will certainly come back soon."_

The Pigman King issued his warning, before shouting something guttural in his own language, something that Sima could not translate at all, and began calling his minions back.

"_Take care of yourselves. The Nether is a perilous place, and even more danger may wait for you on the other side. If you cannot go home, there may be something else of use, another portal."_

"Another... portal?" Delta asked, still feeling weak from his injury. "How... can there be another?"

"You mean there have been others here before us?" Leon queried, moving Sima aside to stand in front of the pigman.

"_Other humans, yes. They came, they went, and they did not bother us much. It has been a long time since humans have come... a very long time, yes. The portal is not too far away... close enough to allow you to get there before the men in black return_."

The idea was intriguing, and offered a solution to their problems, if only a temporary one. They would not be getting "home" anytime soon, but they would at least be able to survive out in the wilds, or wherever the Nether portal would dispense them. It would be better than facing a small army of modern military professionals waiting for them back at the cave.

Lexi nodded. "Sounds good. Possible death as opposed to certain death."

"How optimistic," Leon sneered. "I guess she's right, though. We'd be annihilated going back the other way."

"I'd like to take them on. I haven't killed enough yet," Aura muttered, grinning menacingly.

"We, we have shed enough blood for today," Sima said sternly. "I think that we s-should wait for them to d-depart and, and go back home."

"We need to get out of here, though. The trek to the other portal might take a little while, and by the time we return home... well, _if _we return home... they'll be gone," Leon pointed out.

"But we don't know where that other portal comes out at," Delta complained, wincing against the pain still warm in his chest.

"_It comes out not far from the other one. You'll be able to follow a range of mountains, I believe. I remember the way the portals were set up... all in that mountain range_."

"That's probably our mountain range," Lopezi was quick to speak, as the Pigman King finished. "We could easily just follow the peaks-"

"And find our w-way home," Sima declared, shaking slightly. "I think that, that this is a good idea. Unless, of course, the Pigman King is, is willing to a-accept us as guests-"

"_My people would not take kindly to hosting humans. They never have, and they never will. We are not a hospitable people... be on your way, and we will give you no trouble. It is only the way we are, and the way we have always been_."

Leon figured that the pigmen had already given enough to their cause simply by spilling blood to drive the intruders out. They could offer no more.

"Thank you for your assistance," Leon acknowledged, bowing slightly to the Pigman King. The creature returned the favor.

"_You seem like honorable humans. I will command my warriors to leave you unmolested as you travel through our domain. Take care of yourselves_."

The group was off then. They received a few provisions from the pigmen-glowstone and samples of soul sand, mostly useless but at least light to carry.

"Oh yay, soulsand. I found some netherwart, so we can make potions! Speed potions taste like apple juice!"

"Lopezi, we'll think about potions _later_," Aura sighed, holding her bow tightly. She had no more arrows; once they got back to the Overworld, they would need to craft more.

"How bad can it be? We just go home, make the bad men leave, and make potions. Easy," Lopezi laughed.

"Keep believing that, Lexi," Aura sighed again. "Maybe someday, all of your dreams will _come true_."

"Well, I hate to say it, Leon, but... I don't know if we could've survived without you back there," Aura admitted. "You were definitely an asset..."

"And, and a good s-shot too!" Sima complimented, smiling brightly.

"They're my most hated enemies... they've done so much damage to me and my people before. It's a pleasure to bleed them."

"We wouldn't have lasted too long without you. Glad to, er... have you with us," Delta muttered, smiling.

"They'll be back, once they regroup. But we've got the upper hand for now. Just keep that in mind," Leon reminded them.

They walked through the fortress, a group of four humans and one Enderman amongst an army of milling pigmen. The pigs had been quite upset ever since the attack of the Black Ward, and they watched the travelers wearily, waiting for one of them to make an aggressive move. But the group of companions did nothing to attract any kind of trouble, and they were out of the fortress very soon.

The red fog of the Nether spread across the fields of fiery, smoky Netherrack, filling the air with the sharp, acrid smell of flame and charred mud. Fields of murky, swirling sand were mixed in with the muddy plains, sucking down any who dared to step foot inside of them. From the tall ceiling arching proudly overhead, stalactites of glowing stone shone like beacons in the hot, choking air, shearing through the crimson mist like a sharp knife. And from the ceiling, springs of lava poured down into the great ocean spreading out below, slow columns of molten rock and bubbling fire that meandered lazily in a straight line down from ceiling to floor.

"Are we lost?" Lexi asked idly after about an hour of walking. The air was thick and dark, and the way wasn't clear.

"The pigman guy said that it was this way. We'll find it, the purple light will stand out, Delta reminded them.

They walked on for another fifteen minutes before finding a purplish light staring out at them through the thick fog, beckoning them onwards into the goopy glow of the obsidian frame. This was a different portal; if the pigman king could've been trusted, then this would take them to the mountains, and from there they could go back home.

"Well, anyone going to miss the Nether?" Leon asked sarcastically, standing in front of the portal.

"It is, a bit of a n-nice place," Sima replied. "Perhaps a bit more lava than I might like-"

"Hell, let's just get out of this place. I've had enough action for one day," Leon cursed, and was the first into the portal. Before the others could speak, he disappeared into the purplish goo.

VVVVV

The others were behind him. Leon knew what lay behind him-the smoky, hot plains of the Nether. But what lay before him was completely alien.

He was on a cliffside, standing outside of the dark obsidian frame that represented the portal. The great city of sandstone and brick spread out before him, as far as the eye could see until it merged with the great sandy desert. This was no home to him...

They had arrived somewhere alien.

They were not alone any longer. Someone else had called this world home.


	9. Questionable Sanity

**A/N:**

**HPE24: Well, LexiLopezi, you're the spotlight person now.**

**Lopezi: *shuffles into view* Uh... hi? **

**Kat: *waves frantically* Hi guys, I'm actually here now.**

**Lopezi: KATRINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAA! :D *attempts tackle hug* *smacks into computer screen* **

**HPE24: HELLO KAT! :DD And we didn't get to be tortured by 10 hours of Nyan Cat.**

**Kat: I wonder if a knife-crazed friend of mine still has that 100 hour one... And I actually did it. I managed to write a total of ONE sentence in this chapter. Must be the best chapter ever!**

**HPE24: Indeed, Kat. OH GOODNESS LOPEZI, YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE SPEAKING THE MOST. *jumps out of stage light***

**Lopezi: Ooh, LIGHT! GAH! IT BURNS! IT BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURNS! Ow my eyes...**

**Kat: *Imitates interviewer* How did you get the idea of Lexi's... unique character?**

**Lopezi: I took a bunch of random ideas in my head, mixed them together, added a baseball bat, and tada!**

**Kat *goes back to normal, wondering what a baseball bat was doing in Lopezi's head***

**Lopezi: I was watching the Red Sox. Mentally. And caught a home run ball.**

**Kat: Socks?**

**Lopezi: RED SOX! THEY'RE A BASEBALL TEA- *is distracted by sister giving her gummy candy***

**Kat: *Giggles* I love it when people get annoyed by my ignorance.**

**xoxLEXIxox: HELLO DERE-**

**Lopezi: LEXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIII! *reminds self not to tackle hug computer screen***

**HPE24: AND THERE WE HAVE IT, READERS. TODAY'S GUEST STAR, XOXLEXIXOX *throws cookie crumbs like confetti***

**xoxLEXIxox: And cue brother looking over my shoulder and going, "Hey, are other people typing on the document while you're typing? *grunt* That's cool." -_- Well, anyways, people, I hope you like my character! :D**

**Lopezi: *looks at Soerce* *slowly edges away***

**Soerce (via xoxLEXIxox): Oh... hallu? *waves shyly at audience***

**Kat: YOU'RE GIVING HER AWAY!**

**HPE24: Well, people. I'll explain this matter first. We needed an extra character for the sake of the plotline, and xoxLEXIxox was available to play the role of her. So she's here now! :D You may know her as the author of The Journey of the Holy Sword, a Minecraft fanfiction (xoxLEXIxox: Merp, it's awful, don't read the first few chapters... XD). I hope you'll find this new addition delightful! ;)**

**xoxLEXIxox: Woah, the doc just went weird. XD Oops. *whistles innocently* I didn't spam the chat or anything... Now, I'm afraid I must depart. Zombies are growling in my ears. :U SHADDUP, ROTTING BEASTS**

**Kat: We did it. Oh my god, forgive us readers. WE SURPASSED A PAGE WITH OUR AN. WE WILL LEAVE NOW, BEGGING HEROBRINE TO HAVE FORGIVENESS!**

**Herobrine (through Lopezi): If you do all the paperwork, sure.**

**Lopezi: Geez boss. That's your job-**

**_LexiLopezi was killed by Herobrine._**

**Kat: Meep. *screams***

**xoxLEXIxox: And I have obtained 21 rotting flesh, a potato, and an iron shovel. YAY-Ohwait, are we starting the story, now? We're starting the story. Okay. STARTING NAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO /shot**

**Lopezi: *respawns* I'M OKAY! Hey, where'd everybody go? WAIT FOR ME!**

**HPE24: Lopezi, you want to say anything else? This is your chapter.**

**Lopezi: *puts on yellow hardhat* Nope.**

**HPE24: Alright then. NAO. STORY. *whispers* Sorry, exb and Flu.**

VVVVV

"...Where the Nether are we?"

"I d-don't even know," Sima breathed, gazing out over the city in wonder. The cliff dropped away perilously beneath them before rising up again in the form of a sandstone wall that looked like it had simply grown out of the sand. Behind that roofs dotted the sandscape, like red brick mushrooms after a storm. Intricately carved archways led the way to open squares and fountains, looming above sheltered seats and paths. Towers leaned back lazily as though their wider tops were too heavy to keep upright and larger houses sat squat and fat, glowstone set into their walls. The entire city seemed aglow with sunlight as though the sandstone it almost entirely consisted of caught the rays of the sun. A dull roar of distant noise and activity rose up from it, the small forms of people visible roaming the streets.

"Pretty. I'm gonna call it Heliopolis. Can we explore?"

"Well... I suppose so," Delta said, drawing his sword. "We have to be careful."

"Finding a way down could also be a good idea," remarked Aura.

"I don't like this. A bunch of people just show up on the other side of the portal? Yeah, I dunno if we should just waltz in and _announce _ourselves," Leon said.

"I can see a few people down there, not many... maybe we can sneak in?" Lexi suggested.

"Oh, yes, let's just _waltz _into a giant walled city. We're _definitely _not looking for trouble," Leon mused sarcastically.

"Well, I kinda feel like we're stepping out of the frying pan and into a furnace," Delta worried.

"Or a slow cooker," Lopezi added. "We could be cooked slowly and painfully?"

"What a _lovely_ image," Leon chuckled.

"Perhaps we can at least go down before the gates and announce our presence?" Delta suggested.

"We won't be welcome here, I'm certain," Aura warned. "An endergirl, a man with a gun, and a sugar-hyper cookie-wielding girl? Yeah, we'll _definitely _get in."

"It won't hurt to wave a white flag, would it?" Leon pointed out.

"I, I agree with Leon," Sima jumped in. "If we just t-tell them we mean no harm then, then we s-should be fine."

"Well, we might as well go. It's getting hot up here..."

VVVVV

Soerce stumbled through the scorching desert, gasping as her feet gave way and sent her sliding face-first down a sand dune. Warm grains of sand hit her skin like white-hot cinders. The relentless sunlight certainly didn't have any mercy on a lost nine-year-old.

She had seen a silhouette against the infinite stretches of sand. It meant civilization. She was sure of it! Now, if she could only have a drink of water to regain her strength...

Numb fingers scrambled to sling the strap of her satchel off her shoulder. Soerce fumbled inside, waiting for the familiar feeling of her hand connecting with the smooth, slick surface of—_Aha!_ She pulled out the tablet with ease, an ear-to-ear grin beginning to creep onto her face.

Her ashy white skin blended in with the blinding sunlight as her fingers flew across the screen of her tablet. She quickly entered the password, her head swiveling, searching for any nearby life forms that could possibly be spying on her. Content that no one was, she reached up to tuck away a loose chunk of black hair that fell in her eyes.

_/toggledownfall_

With a satisfied smirk, Soerce slid her tablet back into her satchel. She breathed in the earthy scent of rain and tilted her head upwards. Raindrops dribbled down her cheeks into her open mouth, satisfying her parched throat. An air of confidence rode about her as she continued her journey—this time, with no thirst. She could just make out the Walled City in the distance.

VVVVV

"Who's that?" Lexi pointed at a small dot, which was progressively getting larger. The group shifted cautiously, their hands prepared to reach for their weapon of choice at any second. Lexi, on the other hand, stared into the distance. She had a feeling that the approaching figure wasn't hostile at all.

"G-guys? Look, whoever, ever it is, they're f-falling a lot." Sima spoke up. The others squinting into the desert, mirages from heat waves blurring their vision.

"Sima's right," Delta chuckled. "And they look very small, too. Not a threat, I hope."

The figure was now close enough that they could make out certain features—plain brown clothing, short black hair... The most unnerving thing about the figure, though, was their luminous yellow eyes that seemed to glow against the brightness of the day. The figure stumbled once again, this time tumbling into the sight of the five.

"That's... It's a little girl!" Lexi exclaimed, half in awe and half ecstatic. Suddenly, her expression clouded over. "I won't have to share my cookies with her, will I?"

"Not, not unless she l-likes cookies!" Sima laughed softly, patting Lexi's shoulder.

"Hallu?" The sweet-sounding voice reached their ears.

Leon leaned over the edge of the cliff, despite Sima's concerns for his safety, and shouted back. "Hello?"

"Hei!" The girl stood at the bottom of the cliff, her arms cupped around her mouth in a vain attempt to amplify her voice.

"What accent does she have?" Aura mused, also peeking over the edge of the cliff to look at the girl. Lexi frowned. Something about the girl triggered off warnings in the back of her head, like a deep memory vying to be remembered. She shrugged it off as paranoia. After all, if anything did go down, she had a gun.

"Nothing I've heard." Leon shrugged, then turned back and faced the girl.

"What are you doing here?" Aura yelled down the side of the cliff. The girl broke into a wide grin, her innocent face beaming.

"O-oh my gosh, she's, she's _adorable_!" Sima squeaked, looking frantically for a way down the cliff so they could all talk to the girl face-to-face.

"E'm trying to fend my mother." The girl's face twisted in pain, and Sima gasped.

"The, the poor thing!"

_I know her from somewhere..._

Lexi narrowed her eyes.

_What's that peeking out of her backpack? Tabula... no, table... TABLET!_

Aura interrupted her realization by leaping up and unzipping her backpack.

"Hey! Don't steal my cookies!" Lexi thrashed about, but the Endergirl's vice grip kept her in place.

"Calm down, Lexi, I'm just trying to find some dirt, cobble, _anything_..."

"What's your name, kid?" Leon yelled.

"Soerce." She smiled again, her large yellow eyes shining.

"Aura? Can you teleport us?" Lexi forced herself to keep calm.

"Think so, I'm almost getting used to this." The Endergirl held out her arms, focusing hard. She felt the warmth in her chest and grinned, pride surging through her as the group, clinging to her pale arms, teleported to Soerce.

Upon shaking off the dizziness, Lexi football-tackled Soerce.

"You... _DON'T_... tackle... people when you meet them! Didn't anyone teach you _anything_?" Leon cried as he pried the lightweight Lexi off of the frightened girl, whose lower lip trembled. Sima rushed to comfort Soerce, wrapping her arms awkwardly around her tiny frame.

"Wh-what's wrong, Lexi?" Sima glanced worriedly at the blue-haired girl, who was being suspended in the air by the hood of her yellow raincoat. Her legs were kicking at Leon, who just held her at arm's distance and seemed immune to her biting and scratching.  
"Hacker, First Class, subtype B, working for the Timeos."

"A what?" asked Delta, utterly confused.

"Hacker. She can control the world, and utterly destroy it." She glared resentfully at the little girl.

"A hacker? Like a computer hacker?" Leon asked.

"Along those lines, yes," Lexi responded, still struggling briefly. "She's dangerous, I tell you!"

"She doesn't look so _dangerous_," Aura remarked, bending low to look the small girl in the eyes.

"A little girl? Dangerous?" asked Sima incredulously, still protecting Soerce. "That's, that's stupid, Lexi."

"I'm warning you guys, she'll be nothing but trouble," Lexi spat. "She might not look that bad-"

"I think that's quite enough, Lexi," Aura scolded. "And I'm led to believe that you're just a little jealous."

"Why would _I _be _jealous_?" Lexi sneered, finally freeing herself of Leon's strong grasp.

"Oh, I dunno... she _is _cuter than you. And you'd no longer be the youngest if she joined us." Aura chuckled.

"So?" Lexi harrumphed. "You willing to bet the continued existence of this world on that guess?"

"Considering your questionable sanity, and the fact that you think a nine-year-old is evil, yes."

"Gah. Now I have to worry about being punished for letting _her_ escape AND this world's stability. Wish I actually got paid for this."

"E-escape?" asked Sima.

"Asceped what?" Soerce affected her most innocent face.

"Escaped Banhammer Keep, Herobrine's fortress where he keeps prisoners. He doesn't actually stay there. Me and my colleagues do some psychological stuff to griefers and the like, another group rehabilitates them, then someone else drops them off in remote locations, slowly reintroducing them into society. Soerce here's prisoner number 19773, and she was _supposed_ to be under maximum security. Bet that prison break was planned." She shot another murderous glance at Soerce, who blinked innocently, her eyelashes contrasting against her pale skin and keeping the look of a girl who never seemed to have been kept in a high-security cell.

"Who's Herobrene?"

"I hate you."

"It's not very nice to hate a new person, Lexi," said Delta disapprovingly. "Especially when she's only a little child."

"Knew you didn't believe me."

"It's hard to," said Aura.

"I think you hold an old grudge against her," Leon pointed out. "That's unhealthy."

"She's a criminal," Lopezi growled under her breath. "A no good, low-down hacking scum..."

"Lexi, that's _enough_," Delta threatened. "I don't want any more talk of this, or anything like it. Sima, tell her-"

"Lexi, it, it's not nice to be, uh, mean to people like this w-when you first meet them," Sima instructed gently.

"I know, I'm not being mean... she's evil, I told you that, you can't trust her..."

"She's just an innocent child, Lexi," Aura scolded once more. "What harm could she do?"

"I dunno, spawn ghasts, set off TNT everywhere, make it rain lava, and more. Take your pick."  
"Enough, Lexi. Let's go see what's inside the city... and I'd be pleased to take Soerce with us," Aura spoke. The small child nodded, her bright eyes gleaming, and the group began to head back towards the city, as Lexi shot one last nasty look back at the young girl trailing behind them.

"If we all die, I reserve the right to say I told you so." She reluctantly trudged after them.

VVVVV

"Thet looks lek a heart!" said Soerce excitedly, pointing to a cluster of buildings in the distance. Their brick roofs, decorated with pieces of glowstone, did in fact look like a heart.  
Lexi walked a couple of meters behind the group, still steaming about what had happened earlier. Sure, she was _cute_, but that didn't mean she was completely innocent. Perhaps she could put the criminal in a situation where she'd be forced to cheat in front of the others... _Hmmm..._

"You have pretty ayes," Soerce smiled up at Aura.

"Thanks!" The Endergirl, unused to compliments, blushed slightly. "You have beautiful eyes, too."

"People er scared of mei ayes." Soerce looked shamefully at the ground, her lower lip trembling.

"N-no! They're, they're just amazed that someone can have s-such pretty eyes!" Sima reached out her hand, and Soerce shyly took it.

_Pretty do_es_n't do _anything_ when someone's got a finger in your eye, or an arrow in your knee._ Lexi sourly thought, kicking at the stone road.

"End, end you, mister, you hev the awesomast sword!" She gazed admiringly at Delta's massive weapon, which was currently sheathed in its scabbard. She had only seen it when security guards had ordered they inspect it, in case it could be a threat to the city's safety. Nonetheless, the chief guard had scratched a temporary rune of Dullness into the sword's hilt. Superstitious, they all thought, but at least it hadn't been revoked.

"Oh, really, it's not that amazing..." Delta blushed modestly, scratching his temple.

"Yes, et es!" Soerce grinned. "Seima, Sei-se-se..." Her face twisted as she attempted to pronounce the Listener-occupied girl's name the way it had been introduced. Unfortunately, her accent allowed it not.

"Y-yes?"

"You're su pretty." Soerce held Sima's hand a bit tighter. "You look like mei mom... She's relly pretty."

"I am? I d-do?"

The group continued walking down the massive city's roads, silent for a bit. No one could really offer words of comfort for Soerce.

_It's all an act_, Lexi thought, her blood boiling. _If I could get her tablet, it would at least be some damage control. Wonder if I can contact Banhammer Keep, or if it exists here. Headset keeps giving static, though._

They passed people of all colours and professions, all milling about the streets in the early morning. They got a few stares for their odd clothes and strange faces, but most people barely noticed them and chatted in twos and threes, rich accents flowing and sweeping and lilting about them like wild and cheery breezes. The houses appeared much taller from here on the wide sandstone ways, looming high above them on slight angles and leaning drunkenly on each other. Shutters and woolen curtains were mainly drawn, but some were flung open even as the group passed them as households woke.

"Su where er we going?" Soerce resumed speaking without a trace of sadness on her voice. She obviously did not want to talk about her mother very much-the others contemplated silently as to what could have brought the two apart. Was the mother a criminal? Surely a child so innocent couldn't come from a criminal. They all assumed not, even though Lexi was still seething at her.

_Lessee what I can remember 'bout her. Captured during a Destructor raid attempt after the latest spy was caught. Was she planted? Are the Timeos in on this? Why try and get rid of me? I ain't important, just been at the Keep longer than most. Speaking of, might not be a good idea to try and contact it, or risk a time paradox. Why'd _she_ have to show up though. Couldn't stand five minutes with her last time, and that was- OOH SHINY THING!_

She wandered off to go take a look at the powered down iron golem. It seemed to have taken a battering, and scratches marred its smooth metal surface.

_That's weird._

She rummaged around in her backpack and came up with a wrench.

_Note to self, return it later._

A few taps and jiggery pokery made a panel on its chest swing open, exposing the insides. The power core should've been glowing, but it was dull. That was the problem. Out of fuel. Easy to fix. More rummaging around produced a plastic container of sugar. Two tablespoonfuls into the tube, close the hatch, and... done.

Lexi could hear whirring and clicking noises as it powered on, and the golem's eyes lit up, then focused on her.

**Creak?**

"I dunno. This place is still standing, though."

**Whirr.**

"Damaged memory banks? I can't fix _that_. Sorry. What's your name, by the way?"

Clank.

"What about a nickname? Doubt I could remember all those numbers. How's Jik sound?"

**Click.**

"C'mon, I've got some people I want you ta meet."

The golem plodded after her.

VVVVV

"Found a new friend."

Delta stared at the automaton. "That's an iron golem," he stammered. "Where did you find it? And how come it's following you?"

"Behind the apple stall past the chicken pen, and take a right by the flower pots. Fixed him. This is Jik." The iron golem creaked.

Aura looked up at the metal being in surprise, it was rare to meet a creature taller than her. "Can it understand us?" she asked slowly, eyeing the golem.

"S'pose he can."

**Krsssht.**

"He says nice ta meet'cha."

"Ah, well, nice to, uh, meet you," said Sima timidly.

Soerce smiled weakly at the large creature. She was certainly used to seeing cold, red eyes, but something about the creature made her shiver.

"L-laxi, he won't hurt mei, right?"

Lexi glanced at the cowering girl and felt an air of confidence.

"Jik won't hurt you unless you cheat." With that remark, she turned to look at the others. "We should talk to some people around here or somethin'. Wanna check the church?"

VVVVV

"Well, isn't _this_ cheerful..." Leon noted drily.

Nether brick glistened in the midday sun. Was that a... okay, apparently they liked cow sacrifices around here. Item frames hung on the wall, displaying a multitude of weapons within them. Some blades had rusty patches that looked disturbingly like blood. A single redstone torch was wedged into a crack above the door, casting a sickly red light through the dim interior of the church. In pride of place above the altar was a charred skull, the glaring eye sockets glowing light red.

"_Effisr nn habbu nei, kammq oulasama..._" The sound of hushed chanting was heard within the eerie church, which grew louder and louder, ringing in the group's ears. Soerce whimpered and clasped Aura's hand. She now stood between Sima and Aura, their arms linking them together.

"Nice place. Bit dim though. How're you supposed to read your sacred text thingamajigs?" Lexi mused.

"Welcome to the Church of Herobrine. I am the priest, Sanctus Sacerdos. As to how we read the texts, the lighting is just for show. Rather inconvenient when we trip, but we haven't had a broken leg in weeks! What are you young'uns doing here? Usually it's just us old geezers with nothing to do," rumbled a thickset old man, who was about four foot tall and four foot wide.

"We just got here. What is this place?" Delta wondered out loud.

"This is the City of Shifting Sands. Years ago, this used to be a phoenix nesting ground. A mighty wizard theorized that they were attracted by strong magical forces, and built a city here. Or so they say. We haven't seen a phoenix since my grandfather was a little boy." Sanctus shook his head. "Maybe we scared them away. Poor things."

"Somebody probably killed them. It seems like that's a popular activity in this world, killing everyone else," Leon mused sarcastically.

"A hard feat. Phoenixes are birds of fire. Any blade or arrow would melt. Unless it was a diamond blade," Sanctus stated.

"Plus they have wings," Lexi added.

"Well, there's always the nukes," Leon shrugged.

"What is this... nuke... you speak of?"

"Oh, you'll find out eventually. Ask the birds, I guess."

"I-If I could find the phoenixes, I could, could talk to them and s-see if they want to come back!" Sima smiled nervously at the Sanctus.

"Talk to them?" He chuckled, rubbing his jaw with a meaty hand thoughtfully. "I suppose anything's possible."

**Click-whirr?** A metallic head peeked through a window.

"HOLY HEROBRINE'S HOUNDS FROM HELLWORLDS! THE IRON GOLEM IS FIXED!" The portly priest burst into the town square. "EVERYONE! THE GOLEM IS FIXED!" he boomed. Anyone who wasn't immediately deafened was cheering.

"Why're they screaming? I can't feel my ears." Lexi had removed her headset and stuck her fingers in her ears. It wasn't working.

"Something stupid, I'm sure," Leon muttered.

"Should we go, uh, go find out?" Sima poked her head out the doorway and was blasted backwards from the sheer force of the voices of a large crowd.

"Who repaired our protector and guardian?" Sanctus' voice was slightly softer now. Thank Notch.

"The sacrifice! The sacrifice!" the crowd cheered.

"I suppose they have human sacrifice, do they?" Aura moaned and smacked her palm against her forehead.

"Great, _more_ trouble." Leon grumbled.

"Uh... wha-? IT WASN'T ME. _HE _DID IT!" Lexi flailed blindly in panic. And pointed at Delta.  
Delta looked up, confused. "I did what?" he asked cluelessly.


	10. Rising Dawn

**Kat: Greetings internet! ME here! (Take that flu)**

**Exb: That seems to be everyone's favorite greeting.**

**HPE24: Yeah, I'm seriously considering if I should use it for my intro. .3.**

**Flu: PLAGIARISM. PLAGIARISM I SAY.**

**Exb: Bah. WE SHALL PLAGIARISE. Whatcha gonna do about it, hmmmm?**

**Flu: Cameo you all in something and kill you horribly. MWAHAHAHAHA**

**Exb: Empty threats :D**

**Kat: I only said it cause you're starting to annoy me. And yeah. Says the girl who created Sima.**

**Flu: Pretty much. :D Anyway. You all say things. And yes. *wanders off to write* *pokes head back* BEFORE I GO, we use Google Drive to write and I paste chapters into Word to format the paragraphs and upload them. :D The timeline is, from earliest to latest, AuraDeltaSimaLexi and SoerceLeon. NOW I MUST GO *teleports away***

**Exb has just realized that he is the only male in the entire group. He is now afraid.**

**HPE24: Don't be afraid D: It's not like we're going to roast you in fire or something. We're innocent females. *innocent looks***

**Exb: Hehe. Innocent. That's a funny word. I'll end up being eaten alive...**

**Kat has been asking if she can write brutal murder all day. Right. Innocent. Of course we are.**

**HPE24: But I must say xoxLEXI is the most innocent one out of all six.**

**xoxLEXI: I'M NOT LATE! I'M TOTALLY NOT LATE! *stumbles in, tripping and sprawling across floor***

**Kat: I leave the window for 2 minutes, and I can't even see where I last typed.**

**xoxLEXI: And what's this about me being innocent? *hides machete behind back* Heh. Heheh. HehehAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHHA**

**Exb: Eh, you're better than me. *shrugs while holding AK behind back***

**HPE24: Oh that gun. *smiles evilly* WATCH OUT AUDIENCE, EXB HAS AN ASSAULT RIFLE**

**xoxLEXI: That's nice. I have Oreos. :3 And a ****_HAIRBRUSH! _**

**Exb: You're all better than me. I'm a teenage guy with firearms. What ****_could _****be worse?**

**xoxLEXI: What could be worse? Our audience dying because of an insanely long AN! OFF TO LE STORYYYY**

**Exb: Cutting time! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

**HPE24: WAITWAITWAIT this was supposed to be Delta's spotlight, but the storyline seemed to be going downhill so we decided to postpone it to the next one. Dang, this is getting tedious.**

**Exb: Okay, final words! It will be next chapter! ENJOY TH—**

**xoxLEXI: THIS IS THE LAST SENTENCE AND WON'T EVEN BE FINISHE**

**Lopezi: Where'd everyone go? *wanders off to find people while lugging flamethrower***

"The sacrifice!" the crowd yelled excitedly, all eyes focused on Delta. "The sacrifice!"

"Whoa, wait... you're saying _I _repaired the golem?" asked Delta incredulously. "It was walking and perfectly mended when I first met it."

"Then who repaired the golem?" asked the priest, startled. Delta mutely pointed back to Lexi's direction.

"No, I didn't!" she protested, stepping behind Aura. "He did it!"

"Lexi, you brought the iron golem with you," muttered Aura, exasperated. "You said you found and fixed it. And named the golem Jik."

"Don't tell them that!" hissed Lexi, poking her. "It's all Delta. He did everything," she added more loudly.

"Who's telling the truth?" Sanctus asked, confused by denials from both sides.

"Ask the others. They were with me when Lexi brought the iron golem," said Delta, pointing at the rest of the group.

"The sacrifice! The sacrifice!" chanted the crowd, confused but too excited to let each other know.

"Well?" demanded Sanctus, turning to Leon first. "Who was it?"

"Well..." Leon trailed off as he observed a frantic Lexi shook her head, mouthing, _DON'T SAY IT'S ME._ But that was not the truth. "She did it," he confessed.

_"The sacrifice!" _the crowd roared in triumph, surging forward. Lexi yelped in terror and backed away immediately.

Aura stepped in front of Lexi. The girl was crazy, but she was a friend.

"_Wait_!" A surprisingly loud voice boomed, causing the hyperactive crowd to shrink back. Sima stood shocked, with her ears plugged at the pure volume of the exclamation. One by one, heads turned to the source of the voice.

"I fixed et." Soerce had clambered up to the windowsill of the church's large, ominous stained glass mosaic. She stood precariously on the edge, one foot slightly poised in front of the other, like a bird prepared for flight.

"No, uh, no you didn't!" cried Sima, shocked.

"Oh, yes she did," Lexi smirked, finally settling on someone to blame. The crowd muttered uncertainly.

Aura stared around the church. Sooner or later the villagers would attack one of them. They had to get out of here.

"Can we stick around for the sacrifice?" Lexi looked up at Soerce. "Whatcha doin' up there? If you die before I get to lock you up, boss will kill me. And make me do paperwork."  
Aura glared at her. "You might hate Soerce, but being sacrificed isn't exactly a nice way to die."

"Why's she gonna die? They're sacrificing _apples_." Lexi jerked her thumb at a public altar, which had a large basket of shiny apples on it.

"Oh great lords Herobrine and Notch, please accept our humble offering of the best fruit of our orchards." And they kept on chanting while the group stared at them confusedly.

"From the way they were talking, I thought they wanted to kill us," mumbled Delta.

Lexi's backpack suddenly started squeaking. Making sure the others were all distracted, she crept off behind a stack of crates and opened it to find the most adorable bat _ever_. And look, it had a letter. She unrolled it and scanned through, eyes widening at the contents.

_Hello Lexi,_

_If you receive this message, it is obviously possible to communicate without creating a time paradox. You can use this bat to send a message yourself. I named it Script. It will follow you around until you give it a task. Don't worry if it dies, it has a respawn spell._

_Things are going downhill here!_

_A prison break has occurred, the details of which are not necessary._

_We don't know if the Timeos are behind this, but it is most likely, since a ton of giants don't come out of nowhere._

_And now guess who broke out?_

_19773. Yes, her. Be careful, her tablet has a software update and according to the /report spell, she has already used it._

_Oh, and one of the permanents took the opportunity and broke out, too. Lex, it is. The escape wasn't planned for him, though. We know that he has a diamond sword stolen from one of the guards, but we don't know what his motivation is. Maybe revenge, maybe just going home? All we know is that he follows Soerce._

_Be careful, wherever you are._

_Signed,_

_Alpha Lunaris_

_GIANTS?! That's not good. Soerce, you'll pay for this. If the Timeos _are_ behind this, we're in trouble._ Lexi's thoughts raced frantically as she scribbled a reply.

_Hi Alpha,_  
_I think I'm in another dimension, seeing as the world didn't explode. Delta824, Aura the Seer, Sima Herdrath and Leon Walker are here. Going to try and return them to their timelines and possibly mindwipe them. Don't want any paradoxes. I think we're in the Phoenixes' dimension. Try alerting our allies and get the kitchen working on their potion candy ideas, will make it easier for transportation, and get more supplies. Cya when I get back. Hopefully._

VVVVV

Lexi attempted her most innocent face as she slid back through the crowd. The apple basket was now on fire. Interesting.

"It is a sign!" Sanctus proclaimed.

"Of what?" some random person in the mob asked.

"Uh... I don't know. Hang on." Sanctus flipped through a book entitled _Signs and Omens 101_.

"Golden fire... phoenix head... five sparks... wind blowing the flames towards the north... The five strangers must venture towards the north in search of the Phoenixes, Bringers of Dawn."

"I think they're talking about us," whispered Lexi.

"We're supposed to go on a random quest just because of that 'sign'?" asked Delta disbelievingly.

"The signs are very accurate most of the time, so I advise you on following them," said Sanctus solemnly.

"So we're having a vacation to go find these birds? Fun," sneered Leon.

"Sounds like it. Phoenixes are known to travel across dimensions too. If'n ya wanna go back to your own times, they might have advice," Lexi interjected.

"I'm listening," he replied, his attitude towards the subject changing completely.

"They tend to nest high up, and the hotter the better. Volcanoes are a good bet."

"We, uh, have to c-climb a hot mountain?" groaned Sima, slapping her forehead. "Things are getting better and better..."

"But if they can tell us how to return to our own world," said Delta thoughtfully. "It might be a worthwhile trip."

"Can we stey here fur the night? I'm tiiiiiiired." Soerce yawned and looked pleadingly at Delta.

"It won't hurt to stay here," said Delta, glancing at Sanctus. "Would it?"

"You can stay at the inn. We have had a good harvest this year, and prices are cheap." Sanctus nodded at an elderly couple. "Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are the innkeepers."

"Oh, oh good," said Sima, relieved.

"Come along." They shuffled off and into a cozy looking building, followed by about half the town. "We double as the local bar, so make yourself at home. Rosa, make sure your husband doesn't get drunk again, we don't need another fight. Josef had to treat six broken limbs and a black eye."

"Soft beds. Sweet!" said Lexi excitedly, bouncing on a bed which she had jumped onto the moment they entered. "Dibs on this one," she announced territorially. "Careful whoever sleeps closest to the door or window, you might get stabbed."

"Th-thanks for the advice, Lexi," said Sima, smiling weakly.

"Hei, Sei-Seima," called Soerce who trotted after her. "Can I sleep next to yu?"

"S-sure!" Soerce happily hopped on the nearest bed where Sima sat down and buried herself under the cover. Aura, Leon and Delta made sure their respective weapons were within reach before doing the same.

"G'night."

Leon grunted in response before turning his backs on them and falling silent. Delta mumbled back a reply as he pulled on his covers as well, tiredness lulling him to sleep.

VVVVV

_It took seconds for Delta to realise that he was in an ordinary plains biome with no trees visible over the horizon, but with a murky grey sky. He wasn't sure how or why he got to this place, but he suspected that he was here for a reason. There was something wrong._

_Faster than he could react, the earth beneath him ruptured and trapped his feet firmly to the ground, followed by pillars of rock which coiled around Delta's body and incapacitated him before he realised what was going on._

_"What-?" he started, but a horribly familiar cackling laughter interrupted him. From behind him came Notch; the same one that he met in his previous dream._

_"Hello again, Delta824," he greeted nastily. "I don't want to leave you alone quite soon."_  
_In response, Delta clenched his fists and destroyed his restraints. "What do you want now?" he asked menacingly._

_"If you think I'm done with terrorising you, you're sorely mistaken," the fake Notch replied._

_"Shall we start with what concerns you the most?"_

_"Which is?"_

_"Don't ask me," he scoffed. "You know well already."_

_"Try me," Delta challenged._

_"You asked for it." The imposter whipped his hand up and produced an earth barrier from the ground that slammed on Delta full-force. The wall plowed on relentlessly until he gained his footing and skidded to a stop. He cleaved it into a half and glared at his opponent._

_"What's the point of this?" he yelled from the opposite side of the plain._

_"I said I wanted to talk about what concerns you the most," shrugged Notch. "That is, your powers."_

_"Yeah? You can get a full blast of it." Boulders erupted from the ground as he traced a circle with his foot, and with a gesture they shot towards the hooded figure in a blur. But he seemed bored as he redirected the projectile's path simply by holding his hand up. Notch cupped one of his hands where a globe of water appeared out of thin air, and flexed his fingers to fashion it into a jet of liquid that lashed onto Delta, lifted him high into the air and smashed him to the ground with a jarring impact._

_"Now that you will be calm enough to listen," said Notch as he casually stepped towards Delta, who was shaking and gasping in pain from the attack, lying on his back, "I believe that you act very careless towards your abnormal abilities, however you may lack control over them. You must understand that one silly move can cost you and the others' lives as well. Be more considerate."_

_"I'm-trying-to," said Delta through gritted teeth, trying his best to ignore the pain shooting up from his sprained arm. "But you don't have the right to lecture me, Creeper King."_

_"I don't?" the hoax god gasped in feigned surprise. "Well, Your Highness, I personally believe I can lecture anybody, regardless of their status, when I have the knowledge to do so." He glanced down at Delta's broken form, grinned, and continued. "The Praeceptors... the only beings in this universe that can affect environments supernaturally other than gods. Their powers... lots of potential, but you cannot forget the hazards that follow. Neptunes are, after all, the most dangerous people out of all the Praeceptors, capable of controlling two very different elements while the others do one. Which means you, young man, need to suppress your desire of kinesis for your own good."_

_"Why are you telling me this?" Delta asked weakly, wincing as he shifted his body. "You'd love to have me in your hands as soon as possible."_

_"But it's not fun when the prey gets caught easily," the Creeper King-Notch pointed out. "We want more amusement. Watching you desperately struggling to escape our hands when the hopes of survival are bleak. I'm giving you a... headstart first. Try your best to control the powers, but in the end, you'll discover that you've been walking in circles. No progression at all. We are aware of your abilities as you predicted, Delta824. We will get you in the future. We lust for your blood. We will strike."_

VVVVV

"Del-dil-deilta?" A gentle shaking caused him to leap out of bed, his brow soaked and his weapon instinctively in hand. Delta sighed, lowering his sword tip from the cowering Soerce's throat.

"Sorry, it's a habit..." he mumbled, awkwardly patting the girl on the head, almost having to lean all the way over.

"E-et's ok-key." Soerce shivered, her bright yellow eyes wide.

"Oh, should've told you," Leon chuckled from his side of the room. "Delta's not exactly a morning person..."

"Yu wake hem up next time." Soerce poked Aura's shoulder. She grumbled something about creepers and turned over in her sleep.

"You gave me a, a fright, Delta," said Sima jokingly, yawning. "What would Soerce do anyway, turn into a, uh, a monster?"

"Yeah, silly me..." said Delta distractedly, setting his sword on his bed.

A pile of pillows on the ground shifted to reveal Lexi, who had somehow rolled onto the floor.

"Me smell eeeeeeeggs... breakfast?"

"Is she sleeptalking again?" Leon scoffed, now wide awake after the commotion. "Tell her we have toast for breakfast. That'll upset her," he chuckled devilishly.

"TOAST! SEEYA, SLOWPOKES!" And she raced out of the room.

"That's, uh, quick of her," muttered Sima.

"What's with Lexi yelling?" asked Aura sleepily, finally arousing herself from sleep.

"Breakfast," said Leon. "Great timing, Aura."

"Do we _have_ to go to the volcano?"

"Not until after we eat."

VVVVV

Lexi stomped over yet another sand dune. The heat wasn't that bad, but then again she'd spent quite a lot of time in the Nether and Tropical realms. Her main problem was sand. It got everywhere. She took off a boot and tipped it over, watching golden grains form a mini pyramid. Stupid sand.

"Theis sand gets everywhere, dunnit?" Soerce complained, shaking her foot in aggravation.

"You're telling me. I've spent weeks in a desert before...not a fun experience," Leon replied.

"Think we've found the volcano." Aura shaded her eyes against the glare of the sun.

A massive black rock rose out of the dunes. It was close enough to make out a faint glow at its peak.

"Et es pretty!" said Soerce excitedly, pointing at the glowing top of the volcano.

"Would it be safe to climb?" asked Delta uncertainly, eyeing the great peak warily.

"One way to find out."

The small group slowly (and with much complaining) made their way to the volcano's base. Lexi hesitantly set a foot on its craggy surface, looking relieved at the absence of the smell of burning rubber.

Aura scowled. She hated the heat, her birthplace had always been a place of cold. "How do we know this isn't some trap?" She found it hard to trust the villagers, or anything in this world, really.

"If it means I can push _her _into a volcano, I'm going." Lexi muttered, giving Soerce a murderous glance.

"Don't, don't hurt Soerce," said Sima angrily.

"Oh no," Aura moaned.

"What?" asked Delta.

Aura pulled her quiver from her back, emptying it upside down. With her bow in hand, the quiver was empty.

"No arrows," Leon groaned. Like Aura, he didn't exactly trust the villagers.  
"Mebbe, mebbe I have sumthin?" Soerce suggested. Turning away from the others, she shook her bag off her shoulders, hiding her stuff as she tapped away. Alert, Lexi jumped at her, but was stopped by Delta.

"No, Lexi, let's see what Soerce has," Delta interrupted. "And don't attack her. She's smaller than you."

"Found semthin!" the little girl cried, holding a shimmering white sword and sheath to the Endergirl.

Lexi stumbled as she felt the universe tear, just a little. _Hacked._ If Soerce made more "adjustments" to the world, it might cease to exist. Or implode. Whichever.

Aura looked cautiously at the blade. Reaching out, she slowly took the hilt, easily holding up the iron. "I know how to use this, I think."

Soerce grinned smugly before making her way up the mountain.

"Last one there's a rutten ehgg!"

Sheathing her new weapon and attaching it to her side, the Endergirl raced after Soerce and Sima, quickly catching up. Delta and Leon tried their best, but they weren't the fastest people around.

"Can't you do something to make climbing easier?" asked Leon as he almost lost balance on the uneven ground.

Delta hesitated. "Maybe... I can try a new technique. I'm not strong enough to revamp the whole volcano." He reached out for chunks of black rock, and they instantly started to break apart in their own accord into smaller pieces, swirling around Delta's outstretched arm and fitting themselves around it flawlessly, creating an extended version of the arm with a huge gauntlet.

"Not bad," he commented, inspecting his build swiftly before grabbing onto a platform jutting out and hauling himself up, not forgetting to pull Leon up as well.

"That arm is quite... impressive," said Leon, staring at the gauntlet that was about the size of his body.

"It's lighter than I thought," said Delta. "And very efficient in rock climbing."

"Looks like it would weigh you down," the grown man observed.

"Well, looks can be deceiving, can't they?" Delta replied, and he began to make his way up the rocky face of the cliff. It was difficult, maneuvering past rocky outcroppings, but Delta's grip was strong and he was able to hold himself up.

"I'll try... to make a footpath up the mountain-"

"Do not fall!" Aura cried out, rather unnecessarily. "I mean, it's obvious we don't _want _you to fall, but... try not to!"

Delta did not reply as he continued to climb, attempting to carve out handholds so that the others could climb. Leon, unassisted, began to follow him up, gripping the dry black rock tightly as he pulled himself up the face of the volcano.

Lexi was next, eager to reach the top of the mountain and see what she could see. Already, Delta was almost at the summit, grunting as he struggled to make openings in the rock to allow the others to climb.

"This looked easier from below," Lexi grumbled, barely ten feet above the bottom.  
"Yeah, like Delta said... looks can be deceiving, eh?" Leon chortled from above. "It's not a piece of cake, that's for sure... I'd rather have one of those fancy gauntlets myself-"  
"Yeah, try to geokinate, Leon," Delta joked. "I'm sure it'll work _fantastically_."

"Oh, brilliant. Yes, allow me to attempt to pull rocks out of the cliff," Leon laughed, almost losing his grip in the process. "Damn this mountain..."

Delta was, obviously, the first to reach the top, as the others arrived one by one. Lexi, who arrived directly after Leon, stared down at the bubbling pool of boiling magma in the center of the volcano, the massive crater-like summit surrounding it.

"I call dibs on throwing Soerce into the magma!" Lexi cried.

"_NOBODY _is throwing _ANYBODY _into the magma," Delta rebuked her. "Let's... not do that."

"Ah'd ratha not be thrown into the leva, jus' sayin," Soerce spoke, arriving up on top behind Lexi. "Might be quite penful, yu know."

"Now, we need to find phoenixes, don't we?" Delta asked, trying to remember what they were doing while disassembling his rock hand.

"So the sign said," Lexi replied. "The Bringers of Dawn..."

"Well, uh, if they're, uh, the phoenixes I've heard of, they can't be, can't be too hard to find," said Sima. "Giant, y'know, f-fiery birds, and all that."

"Sounds like something fun to shoot," Leon joked, before realizing that Sima had turned towards him in horror. "I was joking... I'm not going to shoot the damn birds..."

"Maybe they're like, uh, really small?" Lexi suggested. "If they were big, we would've seen them already..."

Leon had already begun to walk off from the main group, scouring the summit of the volcano for anything.

"Er... Leon? Can, can we stay t-together, please?" Sima called out after him as Lexi, bored, began to gather rocks to toss into the magma.

"I'm looking... for like a cave entrance, or something... there won't be any phoenixes here..."

"He's right. We would've found them already if they were on the surface," Delta realized, and began to follow him, eyes on the ground.

"Eep!" Soerce squealed, and suddenly she vanished. The group whirled around, calling out her name and trying to find her.

"Er...Soerce? W-where, where did you go?" Sima called out, stumbling over a pebble herself.

"Oh, that, that's the fourth time that has happened today! Stupid, stupid pieces of volcanic rock!"

"Careful around those pebbles, Sima. They are conspiring together to trip you to death," Aura chuckled.

"Oi, hey! Where did Soerce go?" Delta called as he looked over and realized that she was missing. "She was just there... a moment ago..."

A small whimper was heard from below the group, almost inaudible.

"Guys? E'm here," A voice that could be no other's than Soerce's followed the whimper. Leon was already returning to the group, holding something small in his palm.

"W-where?" Sima whirled around, trying to find the small girl.

"Uver here-oof!" A small umpbump was heard, followed by silence.

"Well, isn't _that _unfortunate." Lexi mumbled, the memory of Soerce's cheating still fresh in her mind.

"Where'd the small one go?" Leon asked as he arrived. "The one that only comes up to my waist..."

"She, she disappeared!" Sima was almost to the point of hysterics, running around in circles and craning her neck to find the place that Soerce had fallen down.

Leon, almost instantly, found the hole, slipping and falling straight into it simply by stepping around randomly. Unlike Soerce, however, he was too big; he was stuck in the tunnel, lodged in at his waist.

"Ah, so _that's _where she went to," Delta mused, as Leon attempted to struggle out of the chute.

Aura grabbed Leon's wrists, pulling as hard as she could.

"Well, shit, pull me out-I'd rather not be stuck here..."

"Fine," scowled Aura. "Hold on tight." And she focused as hard as she possibly could, trying to get the energy to teleport.

"You'd think, by now, I'd be able to do this," she growled, letting Leon go in disgust.

"Ah. Well, that's a predicament then, isn't it?" Leon grumbled, resigning himself to being lodged in a hole. "If I fall asleep here, don't draw on my face please."

"Uh, Delta, maybe you sh-should get, get him out..." Sima gestured towards his arms and made geokinesis-like motions. At least, what she thought were geokinesis-like motions, anyway.

"All right, all right, let's see what I can do." Delta marched over to the spot and slammed his foot near the chute, widening the space with a loud rumble. In a split-second, Leon disappeared down the chute, his voice falling away as he slipped out of sight.

"Well... that was convenient," Aura mused as he vanished.

"That, uh, that went well," Sima laughed, stifling giggles.

"Hm, should have done it more gently," said Delta sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "But we can get him back."

"How?" Aura smirked.

"You want me to go look for him? Earth is my thing."

"We have _all _been living in a cave for the past few days. It'd be safer if we all go," Aura muttered.

"Oh, wonderful, m-more caves," grumbled Sima. "Well, uh," she began, eyeing the pit despairingly, "I guess we'd better go in. You go first." She pushed Delta towards it.

"Thanks, Sima. I _knew _I could count on you," Delta said sarcastically before stepping gently down into the dark tunnel.

"You can, uh, you can always count on me," she called down after him, grinning.

"Still alive?" Aura called, peering down. There was no reply, just the endless, plinking tumble of tiny grains of rock spilling down the narrow causeway into blackness.

"Shame," the endergirl muttered, leaping off the edge and disappearing in a cloud of purple dust. Sima groaned and slid down after her, closely followed by a muttering Lexi.

VVVVV

Soerce was just rising up from the dust when the large figure crashed on top of her, smooshing her back down into the warm dirt. The figure grumbled and rose up, swearing profusely, saying words that Soerce hoped she would never hear again.

"Mind that thar pooty mouth, mistih!" Soerce complained, spitting dust out.

"Oh... I, er, landed on you. Sorry about that," Leon apologized. Looking up, he shoved the little girl aside, just getting out of the way as Delta crashed into the earth.

"Everyone's come to join the party, it seems," Leon mused as another figure began to tumble down the chute, hitting the rocky sides repeatedly, screaming, it seemed, to obsidian.

"It's a bit offa tumble down, aren't it?" Soerce giggled, as the other figures, now lying in the dust, began to groan and stir.

"Is it? I did not see," said Aura, leaning against a wall in the shadows.

"Oh joy, the wall is talking to me," Leon laughed sarcastically. "Someone light a damn torch. I can't see for shit."

"Really? Your eyes are pitiful," remarked the Endergirl, reaching to help Sima up.

"My optometrist tells me the same. Just... someone get a light out. I'll set myself on fire if that'll provide some light."

"Let me find some flint and steel." Grinning, Aura pulled out an unlit torch.

"Just light the torch. I'd be much obliged," Leon said, leaning back against one of the walls in the darkness.

"Delta, have you any iron spare? There's some gravel here."

"You, you can, uh, geokinate, maybe?" Sima suggested, coughing heavily.

"Sure... if there is any iron nearby." He placed a hand on the cave wall to detect any ores hidden behind the stone.

"Anything?" Aura asked, still holding her torch.

"Oh, hang on... I sense some..." A few moments later, a couple of iron ores surfaced from the wall and flew up to land in the dust.

"Well, there's ore. We can't really make do with that," Leon noticed.

"We can just build a furnace-"

"No, no. These walls are not regular stone," Aura muttered, able to see them perfectly. "Unless we have any spare cobblestone, we're kind of screwed."

"Oh no," Sima moaned. "Is it, uh, is it... that stuff... bedrock?"

"No... it is like, volcanic rock or something... and it is really warm, too," Aura muttered, feeling the wall.

"I have some s-spare cobble," Sima realised after a moment, and the sounds of shuffling could be heard. "I, I can't, uh, see it th-though... Aura?"

There was more rummaging, and after a short while, a furnace was produced, along with a few pieces of coal.

"Always c-carry, uh, uh, survival gear!" Sima said giddily, raising her arms in triumphance and utterly failing when they smacked against a low-lying outcrop of rock. "That, that was supposed to s-sound enthusiastic..."

"Well, we have what we need," Aura spoke, and light filled the space as the furnace was lit and the coal chunks began to burn. She threw the iron ore into the stony machine and it began to smelt.

"You know, we could just carry that furnace with us," Leon joked.

"Oh, that'd be _real_ convenient. I'd like to see _you_ lug it around..." Lexi giggled.

"No biggie," Leon shrugged and poised as if he were about to pick the furnace off of the volcanic rock, but stopped at the last moment. The group chuckled simultaneously.

"Yeah, alright, fine. Just... make the torches, please," Leon resigned. Soon they all had a small collection of the things, and Leon lit one so that they could observe the small basalt room. The walls were sheer, grainy and plain, unmarked by tunnel or dip. That wasn't good.

"Uhm, hallu? Stell here, yu know..." Soerce mumbled from the floor. Sima sighed exasperatedly and hoisted the girl to her feet, dusting her off.

"Sorry about forgetting you," Delta smiled, patting her on the back.

"Alright, guys, there's... a tunnel over this way," Leon pointed out, holding a torch up to a narrow but high passageway carved into the basalt like a miniature ravine.

Aura stepped into the tunnel, ignoring the torch. "It curves quickly, I can't see what's down there."

"Another dark descent? _Fantastic_," Leon smirked. "Well, let's not keep the firebirds waiting."

With torches lit, the group walked off into the narrow passageway, deeper into the fiery heart of the mountain.


	11. Turn the Tides Around

**A/N: Flu: Sorry, fellow collaborators, but Katrina found the best cliffhanger ever and we decided not to pass it up. :D**

**HPE24: You're most welcome for that cliffhanger, Flu and Kat. ;)**

**Exb: Aye, well sometimes we have to cut good things out.**

**HPE24: Yeah... Meesh. But this chapter got really long again... *facepalm***

**Exb: So we're cutting this A/N relatively short. Everyone has a chance to speak though!**

**Lopezi: *watches Wreck-It Ralph* *sniggers* The Cy-Bugs are kinda cute, to be honest.**

**Kat: So I'm guessing I still get a chance to talk here? Exb, we'll copy that into a new doc. Do you guys realise that if we keep at this pace, by chapter 20 we'll have 100,000 words?**

**Exb: Aye. The bigger the better, the old saying goes.**

The darkness was like an ever-vigilant beast, watching the group as they traveled. It shrank from the reaches of their torchlight, growling in resentment, but brooded over them and filled them with a deep sense of foreboding.

"I thought the interior of the volcano would be lighter than this," said Delta, looking around. "I mean, where is the lava and everything?"

"Maybe, uh, maybe it's hiding," joked Sima, looking around worriedly nonetheless.

"You say that like molten rock are living things-" Delta stopped in his spot, looking around tensely. "What was that noise?" he muttered suspiciously.

"Over there!" Lexi spoke up, holding a strange contraption with ridiculously long antennae sticking out of it. They followed the blue-haired girl until she came to a sudden stop at one of the walls. "Hmm. This is where the little blinks-dot-thingy is. We're standing half a meter in front of it."

"Um, what are we tracking again?" Delta chuckled at the bizarre situation that they were in.

"Y-yeah." Sima held Soerce's hand nervously, the small girl clinging to her leg.

"An U.V.L.F., _duh_." Lexi rummaged through her bag and surfaced with a rather crumbly-looking cookie. Taking a big bite out of it, she noticed the group was staring at her in bewilderment. "An Unidentified Vibrating Life Form. Yeesh," she said with a mouth full of cookie crumbs.

"Don't speak with your mouth full, Lexi." Aura patted the girl's head teasingly.

"Sorry," Lexi replied, happily finishing off the chocolatey dessert.

"Well, what does the... er... UVLF say?" Delta asked, concerned.

"It says that there are lifeforms on the other side of this wall. And they're unidentified. And I think they're vibrating too. I wonder if they have cookies..."

"Could be a phoenix," Aura suggested, putting her head to the wall to see if she could hear anything. There was only the slightest sound from the other side, that of someone speaking... or so she thought.

"Hear anything?" Delta asked.

"I think... voices," Aura replied, pressing her head tighter to the wall. "It's hard to hear-"

"Voices? Like, p-people voices?" Sima inquired.

"I cannot tell. It is too hard to hear," Aura resigned. "Perhaps we can find another way around?"

"The tunnel keeps going, I say we follow it," Delta observed, and he began to lead the way down another branch, with Sima somehow taking up the rear.

"Shouldn't we... I danno, try ta get our bearins?" Soerce suggested.

"I know the way back," Aura reassured the young lady, patting her gently on the head. "If we get lost, I can lead the group."

"I jus get... a bad feelin' bout this," the girl murmured, staying as close to Sima as she could.

"It's all this heat, gone to your head," Leon assured her. "Nothing to worry about." Sima began to fall behind, her focus lost upon the beautiful rock formations soaring up overhead.

"Hey, guys, there's a light up ahead," Delta whispered, moving forward slowly now.

"Phoenixes?" Lexi asked curiously.

"I can't say," Delta muttered, creeping up to a tiny aperture in the tunnel up ahead. It opened up into a massive, cavernous chamber made out of hard basalt rock, rising up at least fifty feet where stalactites gripped the ceiling tenaciously, and bulky stalagmites poked up from the ground like bulbous, rocky fingers. Delta, Leon and Aura all crowded around the tiny exit hole, watching from their tunnel as three figures talked in the center of the chamber. Lexi and Soerce approached from behind, and Sima had fallen far back.

"The eggs will hatch soon enough... let there be enough time..."

"We already have several mature birds. Are we going to move them soon?"

"Tomorrow, perhaps. Once we get them secluded in the Underreach, we can move on to the next phase."

The heroes and heroines watched in silence, struggling to get a better view of the huge chamber.

"I can't hear a bleedin' thing out dere," Soerce cursed, trying to squirm under Leon's arm. "Move yer big ol arm, smelleh man!"

"Where'd Sima go?" Lexi asked from behind, but they silenced once more as another man entered the scene, carrying a cage with a bright yellow object inside. The object began to move, ruffling feathers and squawking loudly as it was upset.

"This one's the most mature. Should it be the first to go?" the new man asked.

"We'll bring that and three others to the Underreach. Have them ready to go by tomorrow morning," another ordered.

"As you wish, My Lord."

"Delteh, Delteh... that ther is a pheenix-"

Soerce was starting to say something, but Sima had chosen the most inopportune time to find the group and blunder into them.

"Guys, wait up!"

Sima cried out at the top of her lungs, but tripped over a loose stone and barreled into the others with the force of a charging bull. All of them fell out of the tunnel and into the cavern, Sima tumbling over them yelling incoherently. They all collapsed into a heap in the dust, a massive tangle of squirming bodies.

"Oh, Sima... you really screwed up this time," Aura groaned, trapped beneath both Lexi and the clumsy Listener.

"I tripped over another pebble," she explained weakly, trying to rise up from the dirt. "I'm sorry-"

She stood up, but was met with the pointy end of a steel blade, only inches from her throat. The sound of drawn bowstrings could also be heard, from somewhere else in the cavern.

"Well, well... we have visitors, gentlemen," one of the mysterious men spoke, his voice cold and discomforting.

"More like eavesdroppers," a gruff voice replied.

"Oooh, we should put them over a fire! That'll make them writhe," a sadistic, shrill voice chimed in, giggling menacingly.

"Fresh flesh... I smell it," a husky, dry voice spoke, sounding like that of death itself.

Delta struggled to get up and draw his sword; he was fast enough to knock the blade away from Sima's throat and launch an attack at the man, who defended himself quickly. Sima fell against the wall, helpless, as Aura struggled to find her footing and Leon crawled up, only to be struck in the back by an arrow mere seconds later.

Delta charged forward, attempting to battle with the other man. He would have used his powers, but he was kept constantly on his feet by his opponent, who was brutally striking down at Delta with the strength of a bull. Aura, teleporting despite her weakness, attempted to bring down the skeleton archers who lined the cavern, taking them on one by one. She wielded her sword hesitantly, but was able to bring most of them down, teleporting each time an arrow was shot. Her fighting was hectic, though, and a skeleton managed to lodge an arrow in her shoulder. One handed, her blows were weaker. A well-aimed arrow brushed her neck, and the Endergirl instinctively disappeared, appearing behind Sima and Leon. Grabbing the terrified girl and the injured man, she ran across the cavern, finding shelter behind a massive hunk of stone, a left-over from ancient magma flows.

"Lexi! Soerce! Run!" she cried, but could say no more as someone grabbed her from behind.

VVVVV

Delta's sword wavered beside the stranger's. Sliding his blade across the other, Delta ducked, stabbing out before his opponent could. The man sidestepped, spinning on his spot and bringing the sword down on Delta's arm. He staggered back, clutching his right arm where blood flowed freely from a long gash left by his opponent's weapon. Seeing the chance, the man elbowed Delta and slammed him to the cave wall. Crying out, Delta kicked and writhed, but the stranger was stronger by far.

"Sword won't do it, boy," the man snarled. "We'll show what we are capable of." His hand ignited, and bright orange flames danced around the man's fingers with intense heat.

"You... fire-"

"Surprised, are we?" the gruff pyromancer snarled. "Don't make me put my hand to your face. Stop your struggling."

"Round the others up," a commanding voice boomed. Leon, who was still on the ground, gasping for breath, was dragged off by two skeletons, and Delta turned to the right just in time to see Aura thrown to the floor, beaten down by other skeletons. Sima, who had been cowering in a corner, was easy prey for another one of the pyromancers, who swooped down and hauled her off by her arms effortlessly.

"Keep the dangerous ones bound up. They'll put up a fight if you let them," the calm, commanding fire mage ordered.

Delta, now powerless and bleeding, doubled over as he received a strong blow to the diaphragm and began to cough and sputter, the wind knocked right out of him. He felt strong arms grasp both of his, and he was dragged along the dirt floor, deeper into the cave.  
Through dark tunnels glowing red with an entrancing light, the remainder of the group was ushered towards a cell area, where they were all tossed in a spacious cell and locked away. By the looks of the area, it was less of a holding room and more of an interrogation chamber.

"Sima... Sima, are you alright?" Aura gasped, coughing weakly. She had been beaten up pretty badly by the skeletons; she was bloodied and bruised, and barely managed to stand up.

"Wh-what h-happened?" Sima sputtered, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. "I..."

"We got beaten down," Delta murmured, now holding his arm to stop the bleeding. "I... got beaten down..."

"We were outnumbered. Do not feel guilty, Sima..."

"I fell into you g-guys. It's, it's all my f-fault." Sima choked back tears, gripping the iron bars for support.

"Don't blame yourself, Sima... we'll get through this okay," Delta reassured her, before noticing that neither Soerce nor Lexi were present.

"Where... where did the girls go?" Delta asked, noticing their sudden absence.

"I sent them off. Somewhere," Aura replied, shaking her head. "I hope they made it out..."

"If they aren't dragged here, they got out," Delta figured. "At least we have some hope left."

"Do you think they'll come back for us?" asked Aura doubtfully.

"I hope so." He turned to Leon and started to inspect his wound, cleaning his hand on the floor and fishing out a bottle filled with bright red liquid. "Well, Leon, you're quite lucky today," chuckled Delta. "I got some healing potions from the villagers. You gotta trust them at some point..." He swiftly pulled out the arrow and poured the potion over Leon's back before he could react.

"You could have warned me beforehand," Leon grumbled, massaging his sore back.

"I thought you would make a fuss over it," Delta smirked. He slid the bottle back in and took out another one, handing it to Aura. "You can take the last one. It's all I have."

"You sure? Your arm seems to need some healing," said Aura cautiously.

"You got an arrow to your shoulder. I can live with this, it's just a cut," he replied, returning to pressing his hand over the gash.

Delta thought for a moment as Aura poured the potion over her wounds. "Those people... they are pyrokinetics. They control fire."

"Just like, uh, you do for w-water and earth?" asked Sima in disbelief.

"The guy I fought threatened me with it, so yeah." Delta suddenly wiped his hand on the floor hastily, which was drenched with blood from the gash, and started to search the inside of his pocket.

"What are you looking for?" Aura asked.

"Any water available," he answered back. "Water can oppose fire. If I can find a water bucket or a bottle... aha!" He extracted a rather big glass bottle filled with clear liquid and examined it. "I doubt this much would help... do any of you guys have water?"

Aura looked around, half consciously reaching in her quiver. "Shoot!" she hissed, noting the lack of her bow. "Nothing," the Endergirl muttered, her eyes searching through every shadow.

A tapping sound came from the back of the cave. Lexi's head poked out of a hole in the ceiling which definitely hadn't been there five seconds ago.

Soerce's muffled voice came from somewhere to the right.

"Teld yu et was the right wen."

"Oh, really, I had no idea. Anyways, you want out or not?"

"Is that, is that Lexi?" asked Sima, bewildered.

"And mei." Soerce popped out beside Lexi. "There's a tunnel. We mined it out."

"Well, about time you got here," grunted Leon.

"C'mon then. Gotta find out what that creepy pyromancer has in store for the poor birdies."

"Or, we could show you."

The pyromancer from before had returned, flanked by ten armed guards.

"Nice of you two to drop in."

VVVVV

Delta shuddered, all hope lost on comforting the others. Aura glared icily at the pyromancers guards while holding a sobbing Sima in her long arms. Soerce and Lexi were gagged and harshly thrown onto the dry volcanic rock floors.

The sickening sounds of fire crackling roared in Delta's ears, reminding him that Leon may well have been a human shish kabob at the moment. They had dragged him out for an interrogation. How cruel of them, to start with the strongest and work down to the weakest. By the time they got to the last person, they would be bruised and beaten mentally by seeing their friends suffer. Then-like a rock under extreme pressure-they would crack. Split right in two.

"Ehm... Guys... I... Mei..." Soerce was able to force her gag out of her mouth and laid awkwardly on the ground, her hands bound and her tablet confiscated.

"What?" Delta tried to ignore the bloody flesh of his arm that lingered on the edge of his peripheral vision. The blood loss was starting to make him feel dizzy.

"Mei arm... I can't fel mei arm." Tears streaked down the small girl's face.

"Neither can I," Delta chuckled darkly. Muffled yelling from Lexi's general area was heard, and although it was incomprehensible, it was easy to see that she was shooting daggers with her eyes at Soerce.

"Surry... I just-Ah! O-oh..." Soerce's eyes rolled up into her skull, her breath suddenly ceasing.

"S-Soerce! Are you, are you..." Sima struggled on her knees towards the girl, collapsing weakly next to her.

Delta grimaced in pain and scooted over to the two girls, blood pooling between his clenched fingers and evaporating instantly on the sizzling rock floor. "Is she-What the-"

Sima's mouth gaped open, a shaky finger pointing to the slightly exposed flesh of the girl's left arm.

"Next." the guard interrupted them, tossing a tied-up Leon into the cell and grabbing Delta roughly by the scruff of his neck.

VVVVV

The pyromancer held a flaming hand just close enough to Delta's face that he could feel the heat radiating off of it.

Delta narrowed his eyes against the brightness, then simply blew it out. "I don't like fire being shoved into my face, thank you," he sneered.

"How?-"

Delta rolled his eyes. "Fire can be easily blown out. Haven't you noticed by now?"

The pyromancer was silent.

Then his fist was introduced to Delta's face.

"Damn you and your magic tricks. I'd shove my prick up your arse if it were worth it. But you're not worth the effort," the pyromancer grunted as the hero recoiled from the heavy blow.

Delta didn't respond. He wasn't stupid enough to tell them about phoenixes when they were hauling them away to some unknown location.

"If you don't talk, I could always ask your friends..."

He perked up immediately. "No, not them," he said, panic-stricken. "They're already weakened enough. Don't-"

"Why should I care? Tell me and I'll kill them quickly. Don't tell, and you can watch them die slowly, in as much pain as possible. Starting with the small one."

"She doesn't know anything. We fell down a hole by accident and ended up here."

"Not very good at lying, are you? Roark? Put him in the viewing chamber. Kerig, bring the next one."

VVVVV

Kerig walked into the cell, grinning as the prisoners noted he didn't have the boy with him.

"W-where's Delta?" Sima asked.

"None of your business, girl. Though I think he might need some company." Grabbing Aura's arm, he held her steadfast, crushing her hands together. Ignoring Sima's pleading and Soerce's whimpering, he hauled the Endergirl into the interrogation room.

The unnamed pyromancer was seated, studying his hand, which flickered with flame.

"Your friend has some interesting abilities. What other secrets are you and your little gang hiding?"

Aura scowled, her bright purple eyes catching his gaze. She felt warmth in her chest, but she ignored it. _Not yet_.

"You're an Ender... thing, aren't you. I know all about your people's special ability." The Pyromancer gazed at her with a knowing smirk. He was so sure of himself, causing Aura to fear.

"Why'd you and your friends come here?" Aura stared blankly, as though she hadn't heard him.

The flame on the pyromancer's hand grew, red heat licking at the air. "You don't like the heat do you? I'll tell you what. You tell me how and why you came here, and I might not burn you."

Aura looked at the flame nervously. "M-my friends wanted lava," she began, trying to stop her voice from shaking. "We climbed the volcano to find some, then one of us fell th-through this hole near the top. We tried to rescue her, but ended up all falling in. Th-there was a tunnel, we followed it into the chamber. We never wanted to get in trouble!"

The pyromancer grinned, delighted at her tale. "If you were only collecting lava, why were you so heavily armed?"

"Don't tell him anything, Aura-"

"You, shut up," the interrogator fired back at Delta, before delivering another brutal blow that silenced the boy. "I'd let your friend here speak if I were you."

"It... it is just habit. For us to carry arms. Because of bandits and such-"

"You're a horrible liar," the interrogator smiled. "It's almost funny, to watch you. I'll humour you, Endergirl. So, you just went to grab some lava, and never thought to come upon us?"  
"We... never meant for all of this to happen..."

"You want to know what I think? I think you're all a bunch of lying brats who need to be punished. You know that, right?"

Aura did not reply to him, but spat in his face. The pyromancer paused a moment to wipe the thin spittle from his forehead, and then lashed out at Aura with so much force that she was knocked to the ground, along with the chair she had been sitting on.

"Aura!" Delta cried, writhing in his captor's grip. He was rewarded with another blow to the head that made his ears ring and vision swim.

Face burning in pain, and a dull ache in her ribs that Aura guessed would hurt a lot more later, the Endergirl stood, glaring at the Pyromancer. Her body shook with anger, and she gazed at the man with all the hatred she could muster. She didn't need danger, her heart had been burning for hours. "You won't break us!" she hissed, before teleporting as far as she could.

Three pyromancer guards jumped at the suddenly-appearing young woman in front of them, clenching their fists to summon fiery gloves. "Hey! Where'd you come from?"

"Stop her!" The interrogator's voice roared down the hallway, and the three leaped at her, happily scorching her skin with blows from their flame coated hands.

"Aura, I'm coming!" yelled Delta, ears still ringing as he managed to wrench one hand free and sock the pyromancer in the chin. Releasing himself before he could be stopped, Delta ran down the hall, leaping at the guards with a roar of fury.

Approximately ten minutes later, he and Aura were dumped back in the viewing room, battered, burnt, bruised and bloodied. Shortly bound, too.

"Next," growled the interrogator, marching back towards the cell with one hand covering a black eye.

A different guard dragged Lexi to the interrogation, Kerig having been knocked out and sent to a healer. She had a glazed look in her eyes, which immediately cleared when she caught sight of the pyromancer's hand on fire.

"Ooh, bright."

Lexi remained fixated on the fire and didn't actually pay attention to whatever the pyromancer was saying. After a while he just gave up.

"This one is useless. Next."

Hysterical giggles bubbled up from whoever was being dragged in. Delta and Aura groaned, for it was Sima who was borne by a burly mage and dumped into the chair before the interrogator. Sighing and nursing his black eye again, he muttered something under his breath and began to pace. Sima bit back her giggles.

"I really am sick of you lot," grumbled the pyromancer. "Trespassing on our land, eavesdropping on our _private _meetings, refusing to tell us why and then beating up half our forces... you've really outdone yourself on being utter _nuisances." _He held up a hand and fire leapt up between his spread fingers.

"Right," he continued, "your little friends over there didn't tell me anything, but I swear that _you _will." He grinned sadistically at Sima and her wide-eyed gaze was caught on the flickering flame at his fingertips.

"Don't tell him anything, Sima!" yelled Delta and received a cuff to the head for it. The interrogator reached for Sima's face with a flaming hand.

"Can I, uh, can I ask your name?" said she suddenly.

The pyromancer stopped, face falling into a perturbed expression and fire disappearing. "Eh?"

"W-what, what's your name?" Sima asked again, the most frantic of smiles on her face.

"...Taif," replied the interrogator after a moment.

"I-I'm Sima," she said, barely withholding hysterics again.

"Uh... right," Taif responded, quite uncomprehending. "Why would you... ask that?"

"W-w-w-why not?" giggled Sima, grinning up at him helplessly and shaking with suppressed laughter. He frowned.

"Don't think that changes anything." There was the fire again, in front of her face, making her skin prickle with fear. Delta growled at felt at his bonds, trying to figure out a way to get loose as Taif demanded their reason for coming to the volcano.

"Please, lies will get you nowhere. Speak the truth, and it will be for your benefit," Taif said.

"Uh," began Sima. "Uh, well. Uh."

"Use your damn words."

"I, uh, I," she stammered. "Well, I, uh... uh, I... I h-have a really b-bad, uh, bad stammer, j-just, uh, j-just so you know... uh... why, uh, w-why _aren't _we, uh, w-we t-telling these, uh, these g-guys things?" she asked Delta.

"Because, they-"

"Shut up, kid!" one of the other pyromancers growled. "You had your turn to speak."

"B-but, uh, I n-need to know," Sima begged. Taif had let his fire go for the moment.

"Need to know what?"

"W-why, uh, w-why I'm not s-supposed to tell you guys stuff." She grimaced. "Delta, uh, Delta knows more than me about stuff."

"What stuff, do you mean?"

"Uh... well, uh... I dunno, I, uh, I would've just, uh, told you guys why we're h-here if you'd asked, but, uh, they don't want to tell, so..." She shrugged, or at least attempted to.

"We want to know _why _you're here," the gruff pyromancer, Roark, said.

"We, uh, we heard about the... the phoenixes from the people in the, uh, in the town and, uh, we wanted to, to see some. But you guys have them and, uh, and we kind of, kind of ended up trespassing. S-sorry."

"Methinks even the dipsy one lies," Roark suggested.

"Ah, n-no!" she protested, worried. "I'm not!"

"Eh, all of the others lied. What makes this one so different?"

"Uh..." Sima thought for a moment, frantic. "Well, you've, uh, y-you've got me there, but... I, uh... I swear I'm n-not lying. I'm really b-bad at arguing," she added, small-voiced.

"Listen to its wavering voice. It lies," Taif added.

"I t-t-told you I h-have a really bad s-stammer!"

"Why dontcha stick somethin' up her arse, that'll make her talk!" Roark roared.

"Silence. I will give her a chance to speak," Taif replied, and the other pyromancer fell silent as commanded. "Speak the truth to us, and we will bring no more harm to you."

"Uh... right." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, whispering something to herself. Her eyes stayed closed, but when she spoke again there was something odd about her voice. "In the town we were told of the phoenixes and, intrigued, we came up the mountain to find them. We are not welcomed in this land, so we carry weapons. I do not fight. Unused to the terrain, one of our group fell down a hole in the volcano's top and the rest of us followed. We stumbled upon your meeting and... here we are." Her eyes opened. She bit back giggles again.

"Lemme at her. I'll ra-"

"She speaks the truth. I can read her eyes," Taif cut Roark off. "Watch her eyes, the way they move. She is being honest."

"Don't give me any of that bloody-"

"Silence," Taif hissed. "She is honest. I can tell."

Sima let out a sigh of relief. "Th-thanks, Taif... sir," she added hesitantly.

"Roark, bring them all together. Get the headsman, let's finish this in a quick manner."

"W-wait, w-what?" Sima stuttered, suddenly choking on her words.

"I cannot let you live, now that you know our business here. It is with great sorrow that I bring more death to this hallowed mountain of fire..."

"Uh, n-no, it's fine!" she cried. "We'll, uh, we'll never come around h-here again! W-we're travellers! W-we were going to l-leave anyway!"

"Once a foreigner steps foot inside this hill, they must die. I give you your choice... either the headsman takes you, or the noose does. I will leave the decision up to you, since you spoke honestly to me."

"U-u-uh," Sima choked, disgusted that she even managed to stammer on her stammer. "Uh... well, uh... uh..."

"We told you what you want! You can't just kill us!" Delta cried, still tied down.

"Foreigners cannot enter here. You entered our sanctum under threat of death."

"But we did not know!" Aura argued.

"That does not bend the rule," Taif silenced her. "You will die. Get them out of here. Except this one." He pointed to Sima, who was now shaking in her bonds.

"Hey, uh, uh, how about, uh, how about you... uh... hurt me and let them go?" she suggested, immediately cursing herself under her breath.

"Not a chance. Choose your method of death, or we'll just throw all of you into the volcano."

"Oh. Darn. I was, uh, I was hoping you w-were nice... uh... wait, Delta, can you do water thingamajigs with a volcano?" she hissed to him.

"I don't have enough water on me, and I doubt I can control lava," Delta hissed back.

"If you cannot choose, we will execute you by fire. You will boil."

"Uh. Uh. H-headsman sounds good," said Sima impulsively.

At that moment, the entire mountain shook from what seemed like a massive explosion. It stopped shaking just a few seconds after, but the pyromancers seemed terrified.

"Er...was that the volcano?" Aura asked, more curious than concerned.

Taif and Roark were simply horrified; they exchanged nervous glances, before Roark finally dared to speak.

"The... the ritual... it..."

"Fuck!" Taif spat, and dashed out the door, summoning sprouts of fire from both hands as he ran. Roark stumbled out of his chair; just in time, Aura stuck her leg out and tripped him, before leaping up from her chair and pouncing on him.

"A... a r-ritual? W-what r-ritual?" Sima asked no one in particular, quite confused as she struggled to get up.

"I have no idea, but we are taking this opportunity," Aura growled, slashing her bonds on the sword of Roark and grabbing both his keys and his blade. He had fallen and hit a sharp protruding stalagmite on the ground; blood seeped from a wound in his forehead.

"Delta, do watery things!" Sima cried as the volcano rumbled again, spears of stone breaking off from the roof and falling. Aura slashed Delta's bonds and he fell free, rubbing blood back into his reddened wrists.

"I... I don't know what's going on!" Delta cried, as the cave shook once more, and a deep roar echoed throughout the chambers. "And I can't use hydrokinesis right now!"

"We need to get the others first, we cannot leave Soerce behind," Aura reminded them.

"The tunnel. C'mon." Lexi tried to remember the way to the prison. "The volcano's angry. It doesn't like them. It misses the phoenixes."

Another roar reverberated throughout the caverns.

"I don't think that's a volcano, Lexi," Delta mused. "But... we'll worry about that later."

"Forget the tunnel. The door is unlocked," Aura spoke, throwing the interrogation room's iron door open. "We have got to go, I do not think that it would be wise to spend any more time here," she suggested, cutting Sima free.

"Alright, Leon and Soerce, then we've got to get out," Delta remembered. They rushed out into the hallway as the mountain shook once more. As they ran, they passed a single pyromancer slumped against the wall, bleeding and burned.

"I know him... he tried to torch me," Lexi mused, looking down at Roark.

"The damned daemon... the summon... it didn't work right... we failed... we let it into this world, gods damn us all..."

Roark could barely talk, but his words were audible.

"We... brought more fire... into the world. We've failed."

He collapsed at that point, short on breath, choking on blood.

"IDIOT. Upset the balance of the universe why don't you." Lexi growled, poking his body. "You don't do that. I have a right to poke you now."

"Come _on_, Lexi! We don't have time!" Delta warned her, and began to drag her off once more. They found the prison easily enough; Leon, lying on the floor, and Soerce holding her knees in the corner. Both of them were eager to escape.

"What the hell is going on out there?" Leon asked as he left his cell. "There's a water bucket one of them just dropped right by the cell door, if you need it..."

"Something about a daemon and summoning. I think the pyromancers really screwed something up," Lexi filled him in, as Delta went to retrieve what little water he could.

"Better get out of here. The volcano knows there's something wrong. The accent is hard to understand."

"THE PRISONERS ARE ESCAPING!"

"Leave them! We have to get out!"

"I'm not letting those punks get out of here alive!" one of the pyromancers raged.

"No, we won't have time!" his comrade argued, but he was not heeded.

"Come on!" Aura yelled, her voice breaking almost into a scream. She slowed down, pushing the others along. But only Delta stood his ground.

"You go ahead. I'll finish this guy off," said Delta, reaching for the bottle where the water was stored. "He'll have to expect a nasty surprise..."

"Oh, someone thinks he's hot stuff. You wanna a lick of fire, boy?"

Delta took advantage of his enemy's slight distraction and emptied the liquid from the container, slashing at him with whips made from pure water. The pyromancer was thrown on the defensive, his own palms reacting to every strike as he backed away.

"Ah, gods...how-"

The pyromancer's surprise was Delta's cue to ramp up the power, and he attempted to fight the mage into a corner, keeping the pressure level by continuing to slash at his opponent with the bands of liquid.

The pyromancer, falling back towards the wall, tripped over a tiny stalagmite and fell to the ground just as the volcano rumbled again, disrupting Delta's concentration. The other mage took his chance, as the water splashed to the ground and all over the walls; soaking wet, he jumped up and ran down the corridor, panting for his life.

"Come back, you damn coward!" Delta cursed, trying to regain control of the water, stumbling as the headache took over him. But the pyromancer was long gone before he had it readied again, and he cursed under his breath as the mountain continued to shake.

"We need to get out of here," Leon pointed out, as a rock fell on his head. "We've...wasted enough time already!"

"Leon is right, the mountain will blow at any moment," Aura began to panic. "We...is there any other way out?"

"We could foller the pyromancas," Soerce suggested. "Mebbe they know a way oot?"

"Eh, it, it's b-better than m-my idea. Y'know, the, the one that didn't exist."

"I don't plan on dying today. Let's follow those damn wizards," Leon cursed, and began to lead the party down the corridor.

VVVVV

The pyromancers' bunker was falling apart.

Rocks, massive jagged chunks of warm basalt, fell from the ceiling and walls. The phoenix chamber was crumbling; dozens of baby birds, feathery and plump, sat in their cages, chirping and squeaking nonchalantly, unaware that they were staring death in the face.  
The mages were desperately trying to seize as many as they could, hauling the cages out of the room two by two, as the ceiling crumbled. Most of them had already made it out of the volcano; many of the phoenixes and pyromancers were already safe.

"Come on, get those damn birds out... we can't afford to lose too many!"

"The daemon-"

"I'll scorch your ass hotter if you don't get these phoenixes out! We're almost clear!" Taif bellowed, angrier than ever. The prisoners had escaped, the fire daemon was loose, tearing the volcano to pieces, and they had only minutes before the mountain came down on top of them...

"It's tearing the entire mountain apart! We never should've summoned it," one of the pyromancers, bleeding heavily, mourned.

"There's no time for regret now. Get the last birds-"

Before Taif could finish, the roof broke into pieces, and magma poured down from above. The roars of the summoned daemon, fresh from the fires of the Nether, were the last thing that the lead pyromancer heard before the boulders crushed him beneath their weight.

VVVVV

"Eek!" Soerce squeaked as a chunk of black rock fell right in front of her, missing her by inches.

"Careful, Soerce," called Delta, leaping out of his spot just in time before a massive shard of shrapnel impaled the ground he was standing seconds ago.

"Where's the way out?" asked Aura desperately. "The volcano's falling apart quicker than I thought!"

Leon looked around frantically, and yelled, "There! I see light coming from a crack." Following the direction, the team began to sprint as fast as they could as more pieces of the volcanic rock rained down upon them.

"Guys, wait, wait up!" cried Sima, who was lagging behind everybody except for Soerce, who also seemed to have difficulty keeping the pace.

"Lexi, you go help them. I'll watch your back," ordered Delta. He and Lexi approached Sima and Soerce but almost got killed from a gigantic stalactite that got severed from the roof of the cave.

"You people are so slow," grumbled Lexi, grabbing Sima's hand. "Take her hand, Soerce. You all owe me your lives for this." She dragged the two forward, ignoring the chaos going around her. Delta picked a fallen boulder to make gauntlets for each of his hands, allowing the pieces to cover his arms seamlessly. He scanned the area for any loose rocks that would potentially become a hazard to them while slowly backing away with the three girls. By the time they were ten blocks away from the crack, the cave began to shake more and nearby walls collapsed into mounds of rubble.

"This-damn-fucking-wall won't open," grunted Leon as he repeatedly slammed himself against the tiny fissure on the wall that was their only way out of this death trap. "Delta, can't you help out over here?"

"Hang on a moment, I'm coming-" Delta started, but cut himself off and hastily shot his hand out to intercept a jagged piece of stone that was about to crush Sima and Lexi.

"Go. Get out as fast as you can," Delta said in a strained voice as the rock weighed his hand down dangerously. Lexi and Sima moved out from beneath, dragging little Soerce behind before Delta let the boulder crash on the floor. He almost collapsed, the arm burning in pain which was conveniently the same one that was cut by a pyromancer.

"H-hurry, Delta!" called Sima, who safely reached the others at the end of the wall.

Grunting, Delta pulled himself up, using the wall next to him as a support. He trudged towards the rest eventually, and pressed his gauntlet flat on the seam. The wall was soon laced with cracks and burst open to reveal the sandy desert outside. But at that moment, the entire cave gave an almighty lurch that made the ceiling gave away.

Everybody instinctively shielded themselves from the falling cave roof, but an unnatural silence suddenly fell in the entire cavern, or, what it used to be a cavern.

Delta gritted his teeth as his heel dug through the stone and the pressure of the cave ceiling pressed down upon him. He had his arms extended to stop the rocks from crashing down on them, but he didn't know how long he could keep it up. The rock armours were slowly breaking apart, pressured by both the rocks and his concentration.

"Guys, go through the hole," Delta told them while tiny slabs of the volcanic rock fell out from his arm to let drops of blood from his cut earlier to fall on the floor slowly. "I'll follow you all shortly after. Get out while you can."

"You can't stop the volcano from crumbling while we go out," said Leon. "It will take too long."

"Just see how fast you can make it."

As Leon stumbled out of the volcano and tumbled down the slope, the ground shuddered again and the suspended boulders shifted slightly towards the ground.

_What do you say now, Creeper King?_ thought Delta. _Am I careless about my abilities as you said? Then why am I holding this cave together? When it only leaves me to use my powers, I shall. And not for my own benefit. They are a burden, but I'm proud of it. And your threats won't stop me from being who I am. Come find us if you dare, Creeper King. We'll turn the tides around. _


	12. Fire in Kos

**A/N: Kat: Hello people! 'Tis I, Katrina... and I've got no idea what to say.**

**Exb: Hello, UNIVERSE. Ha. That's more than the internet. Take that, Flu :P**

**Flu: You two. -_- Thank Katrina again for epicness and-**

**Kat: HUSH!**

**Exb: And let's not forget what Flu and HPE wrote :D And me. I s'pose. And Lopezi.**

**HPE24: That's all of us, exb. ._.**

**Exb: Why not name names?**

**Kat: I only wrote the **_**one **_**part. Credit goes to you guys.**

**Flu: AND TO YOU :D**

**Exb: And let's not forget who wrote ¾ of this chapter XP. I was industrious, okay? I'll shut up ._.**

**Flu: You always write most of the chapter, so you deserve some congredulates. :D Shall we begin? LEXI. CONTRIBUTE.**

**Lexi: Cookies.**

**HPE24: Oh, how nice XD**

**Kat: Fooled you. Lexi's... somewhere.**

**Exb: Why am I surprised? XD**

**HPE24: I should have guessed... using Lexi as an alias. PEESH. Oh yeah, WE'RE OVER ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! And big congratz to dgmnfangirl080 for being the 100****th**** reviewer. :D**

**Flu: Right then. LET IT BEGIN**

"That... was close. Anyone got food? I'm starving," Lexi rambled while bandaging up Delta.

"There. Done."

"Thanks, Lexi," said Delta. "And you can have this." He handed her a piece of apple. She happily munched on it while flipping through a book from her pack entitled _Daemons 101_.

"Well, we almost died," sighed Leon, wiping his forehead.

"B-but the py-pyromancers," stammered Sima. "They, they're still in there..."

"Lucky for us," snorted Aura. "Or they would hunt us down in the future."

"Wonder what kind of daemon they summoned. Could it survive a-"

Roaring reverberated from the volcano.

"An angry one. Want to run away screaming?" Lexi tucked the book away.

"I don't know... but weren't we here to find the phoenixes?" asked Leon, remembering the whole reason of this quest.

"We cannot find them if we are dead, can we?" Aura shot back, preparing to teleport away.

"D'you hear thet... et sound liek... liek chirping?" Soerce peered behind a rock, trying to find the mysterious ticking sound- I MEAN CHIRPING.

Lexi tilted her head, then started digging in the rubble at the mouth of the cave.

"Hey, whatchu doin' here?" She uncovered a cowering ball of fluff. "Whatever you are, you're kinda cute."

"What, what is it, Lexi?" asked Sima nervously.

"Methinks it be a baby phoenix."

"One survived?" asked Delta, surprised. It chirped and gave him the Look Of Adorableness.

"I must admit, that's a rather cute bird," he commented. "At least not all of them died in the volcano..."

Aura glanced back worriedly. "And now we have found it, we go back to screaming and running away?"

"I'm in no condition to run, Aura," Delta pointed out. "I hope I don't pass out or something... the volcano thing left me exhausted."

"Stumbling might be enough to get away, the debris should slow it down for a while." Leon started making his way down.

"Fine. As you say." Delta stood up with much effort and started to walk slowly, occasionally tripping on rocks jutting out. The rest trailed after him, Aura occasionally teleporting ahead to scout for an easier path, and Leon keeping an eye out behind in case the daemon was chasing them. Sima paused suddenly, her face ashen.

"W-what if, what if the daemon attacks the c-city?"

"I doubt we'll be able to do anything about that," Leon replied. "I think it's still stuck in the volcano, anyway."

"Not for long," Aura murmurred, as huge chunks of rock were blasted into the air at the summit, leaving smoky trails behind them.

"We've got other things to worry about. Namely, our lost companion here." Leon pointed to the baby phoenix.

"It's justa babby, mebbe a coupl'a days old," Soerce cooed, holding the round ball of fluff in her hands. "Poor litt'l thang, must be skeered ta death!"

The chick seemed quite content to be in caring hands, and it was now chirping happily, glancing around at its saviors, eyes bright with an inborn fire.

"Be careful with that thing, it could be dangerous," Aura warned.

"Tis not dangerous, ma'am," Soerce grinned. "He's 'armless, wouldn't hert a fly. 'Less he ate it, that is."

"I think it's taking a liking to us," Lexi smiled, patting the baby on the head. "Should we bring it back to the city? I'd rather hold onto it..."

"What if they don't want it? I thought they were asking for an _adult _phoenix," Delta replied.

"First they want phoenixes, now they want _adult_ ones? Yeesh, picky."

"Adults... maybe, maybe they're more powerful than, uh, than the babies?" Sima wondered.

"They never mentioned that," Delta replied.

"We're supposed to bring it back to the city. If we come back empty-handed, it won't end well. This may be the only survivor of the blast," Leon pointed out.

"M-maybe Leon is right. This, this could be the l-last phoenix," Sima said.

"Can we store it somewhere safe?" Lexi queried. "If we have to take it back... we can at least make it comfortable."

"Put it in your pocket, as long as you don't mind your pocket moving around," Leon suggested humorously. To his surprise, Soerce snatched the tiny bird and gently placed it inside her pocket, where it immediately began to squirm around.

"Awww, it's all squermy insahde!" Soerce giggled. "I lurve it already."

As if to reply, the phoenix poked its tiny head out of her pocket, glancing cautiously around at the others.

"Take, take good c-care of it, Soerce," Sima warned. "We, we want it to get b-back to the, uh, to the city in one p-piece."

"The faster the better. Let's go." Leon began to head back the way they had come, towards the shifting dunes of the desert.

"S'okay, l'il one," Soerce cooed to the baby. "I'll be keepin' ya noice and wahrm, kay?"

The chick chirped once before retreating back into the safety of her pocket. As the group departed, the volcano roared once more, its fires finally dying down.

VVVVV

"Who do we need to find again?" Delta asked one of the city priests, after they had returned to the city. They had stopped by the temple for directions to the city hall, where they were supposed to bring the phoenix chick.

"Lord Godfrey Ballister. He's the leader of the city, he wants to see the bird for himself. The College of the Higher Plane will be the final keeper of the creature," the priest replied.

Sima and Leon looked as confused as ever, but Delta simply nodded and thanked the priest, who bid them farewell. He had been the same portly priest who had rushed out to greet the heroes when the iron golem was fixed. The massive automaton was now dutifully patrolling the marbled halls of the city's main temple, watching for any signs of uninvited guests or suspicious intruders.

"We're supposed to bring this baby to some guy, who'll send it to some place at some time?" Lexi asked.

"The lord of the city, I should assume," Delta answered. "All I know about this city was that I was almost sacrificed in it, there are a lot of people, and they sacrifice fruit."

As they walked through the narrow streets of the city, they passed a man standing up on an old box, preaching to an assembly.

"Seventy thousand people live in this city, and there's space for half of that! We're plagued with overcrowding, famine, and... plague! There's no space, hardly any food, and disease is rank amongst our fair citizens!" the man cried. The crowd responded, angry and resentful; not towards the man, but towards their problems.

"The fester spreads within our walls, and still Lord Ballister plots against the other city-states and fights his wars while his people suffer! How long can we stand for this?" the man demanded, and he was answered with a chorus of vitriolic replies. "I will not stand for it any longer! It's time we brought attention back to ourselves!"

"He looks angry. Maybe he had one too many cookies," Lexi thought aloud. "Eh, that's not possible. What am I saying?"

"It's none of our business. We just need to get this phoenix to safety," Delta urged them on, and they left the scene.

They trudged on, the six unlikely companions making their way through the crowded streets and bazaars of the desert city. Here and there, they caught snippets of talk and news, whispers passed between people in crowded market stalls.

"Lord Ballister's grown ill of late...they say he's come down with the fester..."

"Mykros has made war on the Highmount. I can't say why, but I can say they've made a terrible choice, what with the new alliance..."

"A couple of caravans came through saying the mountain erupted. I dunno if they're telling the truth or not, but I'm certain I felt a shake earlier..."

They heard much talk, many people saying many different things, but all of it mattered so little. They were weightless words, and none of the group members understood more than a fraction of what they heard.

"I feel like a true foreigner here," Aura complained as they left the chaotic din of the city and entered what appeared to be the main keep's courtyard. Guardsmen were on duty, flanking the gateway, but they had obviously been alerted to the coming of the heroes, and they let the six pass without molestation.

"I think we all do. I wonder how we ended up here?" Lexi mused.

"The portal. But even then... this place just _feels _different from our old home. Anyone else have that feeling?" Leon queried.

"Yes... a, a bit."

The main keep was situated up on a rocky hill that loomed over the city, which was built up against the mountains. From up on the staircase that led up to the hold itself, the group could see the entire city spreading out before the mountain, an ugly cancer of daub-and-wattle houses and baked clay brick buildings, with streets intersecting at odd and uneven angles. Here and there it all came together in one giant bazaar or plaza, where tiny human figures milled about. Far off in the distance, thick black smoke rose into the air; that was where the volcano was, off on the southern horizon.

"That's one big city," Delta smiled, looking down from the precipice.

"Wow, we're, w-we're really h-high up," Sima stammered anxiously, shivering slightly as she stuck to the middle of the pathway. "This, this is a l-lot higher than a, uh, than a j-jungle tree."

"You are not going to fall, Sima," Aura tried to reassure her, and only half-reassured Sima clung to her as they reached the entryway to the keep.

Apparently the wards at the keep had no idea who they were expecting; they had been warned that guests were coming, but at the first sight of the heroes they barred the gates and stood out in front of them.

"And what business would you have with Lord Ballister?" the gatekeeper asked, folding his arms.

The answer was not vocal; instead, Soerce just retrieved the tiny baby bird from her pocket, holding it out in her hands. The chick was more than happy to have fresh air; it peeped noisily, ruffling its feathers and stretching its fluffy wings briefly.

"Let 'em pass. It's the bird," the gatekeeper ordered almost immediately, and the wooden doors swung inward, admitting the six into the keep itself.

"I knew 'dat wuld work," Soerce snickered to herself as she patted the chick on the head. "Just show 'em the pheenix, and they'll let us in."

"We still have to find Lord Ballister-"

"He's expecting you," the gatekeeper interrupted. "He'll be in the main chamber. Just go on in, your business is more important than anything else at the moment."

The six awkwardly shuffled forward, now in a large entrance hall built out of marble. Everything was clean white marble; the pillars, the floor, the ceiling, the walls, every part of the hall. There were no decorations; the entire length of the entryway was completely bare, stark white stone.

They walked past four fluted pillars of stone before entering a large square main area that was sunken down ten feet lower than the rest of the keep, accessed by massive flights of stairs that spanned the width of the entrance hall. In the middle was one giant table with a strange map carved into it; surrounding it were men of all walks of life: noblemen, merchants, knights, lords, travelers, and the Lord of the city, distinguished by his rich garb and armor.

"Lord Ballister. Visitors," one of the men announced, and all attention shifted to the heroes, who were standing rather awkwardly in a tight knot at the front of the room. The phoenix chose the uncomfortable moment to belch a small stream of fire out before chirping happily.

"It's the bird," the richly dressed man spoke up, his voice thick and heavily accented. "You brought one back?"

"Um... y-yes, we did," Delta replied. Even he stammered, so uncomfortable was he.

"So my priest actually got something done. Wonderful," Lord Ballister grimaced, shaking his head. "At least the damned fool told the truth. We have our phoenix."

"It's a kewt little feller. Only a coupl'a days old, methinks," Soerce grinned broadly, clutching the puffball close to her chest. "We rescued 'im from tha volcaner when it 'asploded."

"Well, I must congratulate you. All... er, six of you," Ballister spoke, waving his hands awkwardly. "I should introduce myself. Lord Godfrey Ballister, of the city of Kos, sometimes called the City of Shifting Sands. It's an... honor to meet all of you."

There was no reply. Leon was the only one who stepped forward.

"Mister-"

"It's _My Lord_," Godfrey correct.

"Sorry... er, _My Lord_, we could certainly use some information about these phoenixes. We're strangers here, and... we don't know what's going on, see," Leon tried to explain their situation. "We kinda just arrived from... another place..."

"My priests tell me that the old Nether portal upon the mountain was used for the first time in hundreds of years. Did you come through that?" Lord Ballister asked, now thoroughly intrigued.

"We... yes, we traveled through the Nether-"

"Then you're in an entirely different dimension. That portal system doesn't work right, it's a shame that you didn't know that in the first place. Wherever you came from, you won't be going back there anytime soon," Ballister said.

"Ah... well, then where the hell are we?" Leon asked, trying to remain calm.

"You're... in my home, I suppose. This land doesn't really have a name. Bring your, ahem, _friends _in closer," Ballister invited.

He led them to the large table; Leon followed voluntarily, but it took a few minutes for the younger heroes to shuffle down to the center of the room and squeeze in around Leon; none of them, except for Aura, even came up to his shoulders.

"This is our land. We just... call it that, usually," Godfrey announced. "Sprawling terra of fractured city-states and dozens of different biomes and climes. It's never really been in one piece, at least politically."

"Everyone's at war with everyone else, it seems. That's the way it's always been," a trader added.

"We've never had peace. It's been said that when the Golden Bird rises, the arms of the world will be dropped and tranquility will return," Godfrey said. Sima looked interested.

Lexi snickered. "Good luck with that. People are never content."

"The coming of the firebirds brings us hope that we can see peace once more," the Lord of the City continued, ignoring her. "This is why the city is in an uproar about it. The commoners are hopeful once more."

"And what about the pyromancers, then? What are they up to?" Delta asked. His question was received with blank stares, and whispered mutters between several of the men.

"P-pyromancers? Is that what you said?"

"Er... yeah, in the volcano... they were there, with a bunch of phoenixes. I think they're all dead now," Delta added hastily. "The pyromancers, not the phoenixes."

They were met with a moment of silence before Godfrey spoke.

"Pyromancers... now that is a word I have not heard in a long time. They were supposed to be dead," he whispered gravely.

"It's written in stone, that they were wiped out at the end of the Overthrow," another man spoke.

"I'm certain that you... all are unfamiliar with the old legend. Pyromancers, the Order of the Blazing Diamond, once held power over this land. That was when magic was allowed; the Jarl of Highmount waged a war against them, believing them to be evil at heart. And the Order was overthrown, magic was forbidden, and the firelords fell into the dark void of history."

"Wow, that's... uh... it's... yeah," Sima trailed off again, shrinking under the dubious gazes of the men around the table.

"Sounds to me like the pyromancers had bad luck, and they're trying to come back," Lexi posited.

"It's not possible... the Jarl ordered their sect to be wiped out, and magic is forbidden. They're all dead," one knight said.

"There's _always_ a small group of survivors. Duh. And now they've gone and upset the balance of the world again?"

"If they have truly returned, they will be out to gain power again," another man added. "If the heroes speak truly..."

"There were, there were, uh, dozens of them in that, in that v-volcano. I think, I think there m-must be more," Sima said quietly.

"It's not that. There's not enough magic in this world. Magic's one of the few things that keeps it together and makes sure the Fabric of Reality doesn't tear-"

"Shut that one up. I don't like what she says," a gruff knight growled.

"Magic was forbidden six hundred years ago. We have not had a whiff of enchantments, potions or spells since the Overthrow. Only runes are allowed, since they are one-use," Godfrey added. "This is our history, there's a lot to recount."

Lexi muttered under her breath, careful not to let anyone hear. "Figures."

"Does that all make sense? I know my land's history by heart, but seeing as you are outsiders... it all must be a lot to consider," Ballister asked.

"Yeah... for the most part, at least for me," Leon replied. "So, these pyromancers... an ancient sect come back to gain power once more?"

"I would assume," Godfrey spoke. "They're power mongers, and magic gives its wielder power."

"I can only imagine what they'd want the birds for..."

"Some sort of ritual, perhaps?" Lexi suggested. "They were doing a ritual in the volcano, something about summoning or some sort..."

Once more, completely accidental, Lexi had silenced the entire group of grown men. The awkward silence lasted for several seconds, before Godfrey finally spoke, his voice a deathly whisper.

"S-s-summoned?"

"Yeah... a daemon of sorts. It must've been pretty big and bad, because they were all afraid of it. I probably could've taken it on," Lexi harrumphed.

"Dear... gods... and now they're summoning demons and devils and who knows what the Nether else... this is staggering..."

Godfrey clasped his hands together tightly, his face now flushed and florid.

"Is this... a bad thing?" Lexi asked curiously.

"_Demons_, child, _demons_!" a trader erupted. "Netherspawn and who knows what else! How can it be _good?_"

"It's certainly hard to believe all of this," Godfrey added. "It's all so stunning, and so sudden... are you sure about all of it?"

"I saw it with my own eyes, My Lord," Leon replied. "She's telling the truth. What you fear has returned somehow."

"Gods have mercy, then..."

Godfrey stepped away from the table, massaging his forehead and trying to clear his mind.

"Whatchu want us to do with the l'il poofball here, eh?" Soerce piped up.

"The what?"

"The baby phoenix. Ya wanted it, nao whatcha wanna do with it?"

"It's not going to stay here. We're sending it somewhere else. Or, rather, we were hoping you all could take it somewhere else," Godfrey answered, slightly taken aback.

"To Highmount, to be exact," another lord said. "The College of the Higher Plane has interest in the creature."

"Yes, the College expressed interest in retrieving the creature. We sent a message by bat some time ago, when we first had knowledge of the birds, and they replied with great interest," Godfrey remembered.

"Wait... how did you all know that the phoenixes were even _alive_?" Aura asked suddenly.

"The rumors have been around for years, but a few weeks back we received a bat from Balic-by-the-Sea that their university had hatched one of the chicks. Sadly, it died within two days. But it gave us hope that there were more out there."

"And legend has it that volcanoes are their natural habitats. It makes sense," the gruff knight added.

"Could've been a wild goose chase," Leon muttered.

"But you have a chick now. That is all that matters. Even if it is the last chick on the planet, it is healthy, and thriving. You need to get it to Highmount in one piece," Godfrey began once more.

"That's no easy task, my lord," a trader added.

"Yes, Mykroian armies. War, war, and more war," Godfrey grumbled. "But we have no time. This threat has been manifesting itself under our noses, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer. We must-"

"My lord! The citizens demand that you appear before them." A flustered looking old steward leaned on the doorway, mopping his brow. He sort of looked like a turtle. "They are starting to get violent. It could turn into a riot!"

"A riot? Preposterous. The commoners are all nancies, they'd never riot," a pompous old lord grumbled.

"Turtles and nancies, the lot of them!" someone declared.

Then the window exploded into a million shards. A bat hurtled through it, obviously injured and barely alive. It crashed into the table, carrying its last message. One of the knights was bold enough to unfurl it and read it aloud.

"I... I can't really read it. A message from one of the guard stations, saying they've been overrun... there's blood on the note, and it doesn't look like the bat's blood," he announced. From the broken window, one could hear distant, vague screams and shouts, and could smell burning wood and metal.

"Turtles and nancies, hardly. Sounds like there is a riot out there," a merchant spoke.

"Oh dear, this is... terrible timing," Lord Ballister worried. "Send for my sword and armor. I need to get down there and get amongst the guardsmen, if there is truly an upheaval..." Sima opened her mouth as though to say something and quickly shut it again.

"Do you think we could do anything to help?" Delta asked, but one of the lords shook his head.

"No, you... six need to get out of the city. You need to get to Highmount as quickly and safely as possible."

"There's an entrance to the sewers in the lower levels of the building," a traveller contributed. "Not that I've used it or anything," he added hurriedly at the surprised glances of the others around the table.

"The faster, the better. We need to keep that phoenix out of the hands of the Order. Whatever it takes, get to Highmount," Godfrey ordered as his plate body was strapped on by a servant.

"You mentioned we might, uh, we might face things along the way?" Sima asked, but her query was drowned out by the hustle and bustle of men as they left the table hurriedly, desperate to either get to safe quarters or to get down into the city streets and attempt to restore order. Smoke rose from outside of the keep, visible through the windows. Fires leapt up in the streets around makeshift barricades and market stalls, and citizens armed with everything from swords to pitchforks to stone hoes yelled their battle cries and stalked the pathways.

"We, uh, should we g-get g-going?" Sima asked, looking up at the others for an answer.

"Someone said there was a secret exit out of the city. He did not say _where_ though," Aura complained.

"Well, I'd rather take my chances with a strange exit than a mob of angry peasants. The ideal way to go is _down_," Leon suggested. Sima stared at him blankly for a moment at the mention of the word 'mob' before comprehending.

"Um, yeah, let's, let's go d-down. The d-down direction," Sima seconded.

"Try the bookshelves, there's normally a secret lever or something." Lexi poked at a copy of Grimm's Fairytales in the middle of a shelf of accounting books.

"Or there culd be a trapdoor," Soerce suggested. "Might be sumthin in the floor." She and Sima set to inspecting the marble for some odd marking or something that could indicate a hidden door there. Delta simply strolled over to the obvious door in the back of the hall and opened it, peering into its depths.

"Umm, guys? Right... uh... here," Delta pointed out awkwardly, motioning to the sign above the door that said "UNDERLEVEL ACCESS". Sima smacked her forehead with a palm.

"How convenient," Leon smiled, having not taken any part in the search for a hidden object. Soon they were all filing down the thin, slippery staircase behind the door, and once Leon closed it behind them they were plunged into darkness.

"Oh, oh great, now it's, now it's _dark," _Sima muttered. "And it, and it smells like old man."

"You need better eyes," remarked Aura, smirking. "And a less sensitive nose."

"Well, you can tell nobody ever goes down here. They wouldn't leave giant cobwebs all over the place," Lexi muttered.

"They culd use a maid or two 'round here," Soerce sniffed, complaining. In the darkness, the chick cheeped, frightened.

"Y' never know," said Leon. "Maybe they think cobwebs make a nice decoration."

"Yeah, sure. Decorations don't get in your face and toss spiders onto you," Lexi complained.

"Now it s-smells like ten, ten old m-men," Sima whispered, nearly stepping on Aura as she stumbled forward. "Oh, it's those, those stupid pebbles again!"

"Those are some vicious pebbles," Lexi noted, stroking the little phoenix's head with a finger. "I bet they haven't had enough cookies lately."

Leon was about to say something about pebbles not eating cookies, but he figured it would make no impact on Lexi.

"Yeah, how about you give some of yours to them?"

"NEVER!" Lexi growled. "They're my cookies. The rocks don't deserve them!" She had suddenly spooked the phoenix, and returned to petting its head in a motherly manner.

"Eh. Sharing is caring," Leon shrugged before falling silent again, trooping at the back of the pack.

In single file they trudged into the dark below Kos of Shifting Sands, leaving behind the city with the smell of burning drifting through the wood of the door.

Crying out, Aura crashed forward, knocking Delta over. When he stood up, he turned to see Aura kneeling, her eyes blankly staring into the darkness.

"What is it?" Delta fought to keep his voice steady, already fearing what was to come.

"Run," the Endergirl murmured, her voice breaking.

Some deep voice rumbled through the ground and the sewers shivered.


End file.
